Departments: Official Engagements

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his official engagements were between 9 September and 7 October.

Des Browne: On Sunday 9 September and Monday 10 September I had no Scotland Office engagements.
	On Tuesday 11 September I was in London where I met the Electoral Commission and had various other meetings including with Ministerial colleagues and officials from the Scotland Office and MOD.
	I was in Scotland from Wednesday 12 September to Sunday 16 September. On Wednesday 12 September I delivered a speech at the International Conflict Resolution Seminar at the University of Glasgow. On Thursday 13 September I met the Royal Mail in Edinburgh. On Friday 14 September and Saturday 15 September I was in my constituency.
	From Monday 17 September to Wednesday 19 September I was in London where I had various meetings including with ministerial colleagues and officials from the Scotland Office and MOD. On Tuesday 18 September I met the Chairman of OFCOM.
	From Thursday 20 September to Saturday 22 September I was in Scotland. On Thursday 20 September I was in Glasgow where I attended the opening of the new BBC building at Pacific Quay. That afternoon I met the chair of the Scottish Interfaith Council. On Friday 21 September and Saturday 22 September I was in my constituency.
	From Sunday 23 September to Wednesday 26 September I was at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth.
	On Thursday 27 September I was in London where I had various meetings including with officials from the Scotland Office and MOD.
	From Friday 28 September to Monday 1 October I undertook no Scotland Office
	engagements.
	From Tuesday 2 October to Wednesday 3 October I was in London where I had various meetings with ministerial colleagues and officials from the Scotland Office and MOD.
	From Thursday 4 October to Sunday 7 October I was in Scotland. On Thursday 4 October I was in Edinburgh where I had various meetings with Scotland Office officials and had a lunch meeting with the RBS Director of Group Economics and Corporate Affairs at their HQ in Edinburgh. From Friday 5 October to Sunday 7 October I was in my constituency.

Ministerial Duties

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his official engagements were for the period of 22 July to 8 September.

Des Browne: holding answer 17 September 2007
	From Monday 23 July to Thursday 26 July, I was in London where I had various meetings including with ministerial colleagues and officials from the Scotland Office and MoD. I attended Cabinet on Tuesday 24 July. On Friday 27 July and Saturday 28 July I was in my constituency in Scotland.
	From Monday 30 July to Tuesday 31 July, I was in London where I had various meetings with colleagues and officials from the Scotland Office and MoD.
	From Wednesday 1 August to Sunday 5 August, I was in Scotland. On Wednesday 1 August and Thursday 2 August I had various engagements in Edinburgh including a visit to Standard Life; Meeting with the Bio-Industry Association; Meeting with Archangel Investment; Visit to Aegon; Visit to Selex Sensors. On Friday 3 August following surgeries in my constituency I visited Rolls Royce, East Kilbride (jointly as Secretary of State for Defence). On Sunday 5 August I attended the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland performance in Glasgow.
	From Monday 6 August to Friday 10 August I undertook no Scotland Office engagements.
	On Saturday 11 August following constituency engagements during the day, I attended an evening performance of On Danfe at the Edinburgh Playhouse.
	On Monday 13 August I hosted a Borders and Immigration Agency reception at the Scotland Office, Edinburgh. On Tuesday 14 August I visited WL Gore Co Ltd, Livingston (jointly as Secretary of State for Defence). On Wednesday 15 August I had various MoD meetings in London.
	From Thursday 16 August to Monday 20 August I was in Scotland. On Thursday 16 August I had various engagements in Edinburgh including a visit to Seebyte (jointly as Secretary of State for Defence); Meeting with SBAC Scottish Council; Meeting with the First Minister. On Friday 17 August I visited Mahle Engine Systems, East Kilbride; I hosted a Scotland Venezuela Reception at the Scotland Office, Edinburgh and attended the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela concert at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh. On Sunday 19 August I spoke at the Celebration of Indian Independence Dinner in Glasgow. On Monday 20 August I met the Chief Executive of Scottish and Southern Energy, Perth and visited Highland Spring. That afternoon I travelled to Glasgow to visit the Diageo bottling plant and I delivered a speech that evening at the SCDI Influencers Dinner.
	On Tuesday 21 August I was in London where I had various meetings with Scotland Office and MoD officials.
	From Wednesday 22 August to Saturday 25 August I was in Scotland. On Wednesday 22 August I visited a waterfront regeneration project in Edinburgh, and travelled to Glasgow for an afternoon meeting with the STUC at their offices. On Thursday 23 August I travelled to Aberdeen where I visited REPower and a Scotch whisky distillery. On Friday 24 August and Saturday 25 August I was in my constituency.
	From Sunday 26 August to Saturday 8 September I had no Scotland Office engagements.

Departments: Accountancy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what departmental budget items have been reclassified, under Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, following Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 decisions; and what the  (a) former and  (b) new (i) classification and (ii) sum budgeted is in each case.

Gareth Thomas: In CSR 2007, costs of DFID's programme delivery staff overseas are classed as costs of front line service delivery and under the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance (paragraph 4.3) are not included in administration budgets for 2008-09 to 2010-11. In the baseline year (2007-08) costs for the activities re-classified are £64 million and will be not more than £72 million by 2010-11.
	Separately, under paragraph 4.7 of the guidance, HM Treasury have agreed early departures costs (if incurred) of up to £9 million over the CSR period will be within programme rather than administration budgets.

Sub-Saharan Africa: HIV Infection

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of HIV/AIDS on the economies of sub-Saharan Africa.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has recently undertaken a desk based review of the economic impact of HIV and AIDS epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa. Evidence of impact is difficult to assess due to the lack of robust data and complexities of long term inter-generational effects of HIV and AIDS. However, the data available indicates that higher HIV prevalence leads to lower economic growth, lower household income levels, and can increase poverty. International Monetary Fund published research on the economic impact of HIV and AIDS suggests that where HIV prevalence is greater than 20 per cent. among the working age population, growth declines per annum by up to 1.5 per cent. and that per capita incomes will fall by 67 per cent. over a 20 year timeframe compared to the scenario without HIV and AIDS.
	United States Agency for International Development (2005) cite evidence that AIDS deaths in Zimbabwe, where prevalence levels are 20 per cent., led to a sharp fall in household agricultural output: a 61 per cent. decline in maize production, 49 per cent. decline in vegetable output and 47 per cent. decline in cotton output.

Sub-Saharan Africa: HIV Infection

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has received on the provision by the United Kingdom of medical training and expertise to doctors dealing with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has received representations from civil society organisations (e.g. Save the Children Fund), international agencies (e.g. the World Health Organisation), African governments and regional institutions (e.g. Africa Union), on the provision of medical training of doctors and other health workers to deal with HIV and AIDS and other critical health issues in sub-Saharan Africa.
	The UK Government have led the way on this issue. The UK committed £1 million to the Global Health Workforce Alliance which will hold the first global forum on human resources for health in Uganda in March next year to specifically look to agree a roadmap to address health worker training in sub-Saharan Africa. DFID programmes also help strengthen African health systems and train and retain health workers. In Malawi DFID is providing £100 million over six years to support health systems strengthening, including efforts to increase human resources to manage the extra demands to support its response to HIV and AIDS. DFID is working closely with the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS (PEPFAR) to align efforts to strengthen African countries health systems and scale up the numbers of trained health workers. The UK Government also funds and supports medical training and expertise through support to multilateral organisations, for example, contributing £359 million to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over the 2002-08 period.

New Deal Schemes

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of participants in each of the new deal programmes returned to out of work benefits, including those who continued to claim an out of work benefit while participating in the new deal, in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: pursuant to the reply ,  29 October 2007, Official Report, c. 762-63W
	The revised available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of new deal participants who returned to out of work benefits in each year from 1998 
			   New deal for young people  New deal 25 plus  New deal for lone parents  New deal 50 plus  New deal for disabled people  New deal for partners 
			 1998 79 81 76 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999 83 90 79 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000 83 90 77 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2001 83 87 78 n/a 85 n/a 
			 2002 81 82 71 n/a 72 n/a 
			 2003 77 81 71 n/a 69 n/a 
			 2004 72 75 69 61 59 35 
			 2005 65 72 63 61 54 34 
			 2006 50 66 57 61 55 28 
			  Notes:  1. Data refers to the year in which individuals left new deal, which may not be the same year in which they subsequently claimed a benefit.  2. Data includes people who were claiming a benefit before participating on new deal who continued to claim during participation and after leaving the programme.  3. Benefits included are: incapacity benefit, income support and jobseeker's allowance. 4. Information for new deal for disabled people is only available from 2001 and from 2004 for new deal 50 plus and new deal for partners.  5. Latest complete year data is for 2006.  6. Programme start dates are: new deal for young people: January 1998; new deal 25 plus: July 1998; new deal for lone parents: October 1998; new deal for partners: April 1999; new deal 50 plus: April 2000; new deal for disabled people: July 2001.  Source: Information Directorate, DWP.

Departments: Assets

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister what office assets are planned to be sold in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2010-11; what the  (a) description and  (b) book value of each such asset is; and what the expected revenue from each such sale is.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Gillian Merron) today.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister in which financial years since 2001 his Department's outturn for its capital budget at the end of the year was less than planned at the beginning of the year; and what the  (a) value and  (b) reason for the underspend was in each case.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Gillian Merron) today.

Lord Chancellor: Pensions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister what the pension arrangements are for the previous Lord Chancellor; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor (right hon. Tony Blair) to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 19 June 2003,  Official Report, columns 393-4W.

Members: Correspondence

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Olympics when she plans to answer the letter of 30 August from the hon. Member for Leicester East.

Tessa Jowell: I replied to my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East on 11 October 2007.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what effect she expects the 2012 Olympic Games to have on the North West Region.

Tessa Jowell: The 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games will have a great effect across the UK, including the North West region, through social, economic and sporting benefits. The North West launched their regional plan to maximise the impact of the games in their area on 11 May 2007. Further details can be found on the North West Regional Development Agency website. The main legacy ambitions for the region are: to increase participation through sport and active recreation; maximise links with Liverpool Capital of Culture as a key element of the launch of the Cultural Olympiad; build capacity in the volunteering infrastructure and promote volunteering opportunities. Another key priority for the region is targeting information and support for North West businesses. To date over 600 businesses have signed up for business e-alerts for 2012 opportunities.
	The North West also sits on the Nations and Regions Group (NRG), which has been established to maximise participation in the games and to ensure benefits from 2012 are spread across the UK. These opportunities include hosting pre-games training camps; participation in the 2012 Torch Relay; being one of the 70,000 volunteers needed for 2012 and winning business contracts.
	Further detailed information regarding the region's plan can also be provided by the relevant NRG Coordinator, Rob Young (North West Regional Development Agency, PO Box 37, Renaissance House, Centre Park, Warrington, WA1 1XB).
	In addition, Old Trafford, Manchester (home of Manchester United FC) will host rounds of the football competition during the games.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what meetings she has had with the Olympic Delivery Authority to discuss the process by which tier two and below contracts are awarded to companies to build the 2012 Olympic Games stadium; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departments: Civil Proceedings

David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how many civil law suits have been brought against his Department based either wholly or partially on grounds provided by the Human Rights Act 1998; how many were settled out of court, before a court judgment was delivered; and how much such settlements cost the public purse since 1998;
	(2)  how many civil law suits in which proceedings are not ongoing have been brought against his Department based either wholly or partially on the grounds of the Human Rights Act 1998; how many were settled out of court, before a court judgment was delivered; and how much these settlements cost.

Edward Miliband: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Michael Ellam

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what date the decision was taken to appoint Michael Ellam as the new Downing Street Head of Communications; and what appointment process was followed.

Edward Miliband: Michael Ellam was appointed as the Downing street director of communications and Prime Minister's official spokesman on 27 June, following standard processes for an internal move within the civil service.

Whips

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many rooms in Number 12 Downing Street are allocated to  (a) Government whips,  (b) communications and  (c) special advisers.

Edward Miliband: Offices in No. 12 Downing street are used by the Government Whip's office and communications staff.

Departments: Public Participation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many citizens' juries were arranged for  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's agencies in each year since 1997; which organisations were commissioned to conduct each citizens' jury; and what the cost was of each.

Margaret Hodge: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Visit Britain: Finance

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much he allocated to  (a) Visit Britain and  (b) Visit Scotland for (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09, (iii) 2009-10 and (iv) following the Comprehensive Spending Review for the whole SR07 period.

James Purnell: VisitBritain's grant in aid for the present year (2007-08), and for the following three years up to 2010-11 which were the subject of the recent comprehensive spending review, is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2007-08 49.6 
			 2008-09 47.6 
			 2009-10 45.1 
			 2010-11 40.6 
		
	
	DCMS does not fund VisitScotland, which is fully supported by the Scottish Executive.

Bluetongue Disease

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans he has for a vaccination strategy for bluetongue disease when a vaccine becomes available;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of doses of bluetongue vaccine which will be necessary to eradicate the disease from the UK;
	(3)  how much bluetongue vaccine his Department has reserved from the developer of the vaccine;

Jonathan R Shaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

Bovine Tuberculosis

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he received the report Bovine TB in Cattle and Badgers: A Report by the Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir David King; when he commissioned the report; what its terms of reference were; what steps he now plans to take; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 29 October 2007
	 Sir David King's report was sent to the Secretary of State on 30 July. On 31 May 2007, my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State (David Miliband), noted that once the final report of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG) was received, it would be important to have an assessment from the Chief Scientific Adviser of any key scientific issues on the role that badger culling could play in controlling and reducing levels of cattle tuberculosis (TB) in England. On 11 June, Sir David King confirmed that, once the ISG report was received, he would carry out a short assessment of the key scientific issues in this area. Formal terms of reference were not established, although discussions about the broad scope began on 4 June. Following publication of the ISG report on 18 June, more detailed discussions took place about the issues to be covered.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn), has been clear that the next steps are for the ministerial team to have discussions with interested parties, including with Professor John Bourne and Sir David King, to gauge their views. We also wish to take into account the views stemming from the current Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee inquiry before we make a decision.
	As the recent debate has shown, the science is complex and publication of Sir David King's advice is not an indication we are near a decision, nor is it an indication of what that decision may be.
	Irrespective of any decision on wildlife control, cattle controls remain of critical importance.

Climate Change: United Nations

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress was made on tackling climate change at the UN Security-General's meeting of heads of state and government on climate change in New York on 24 September 2007.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 29 October 2007
	On 24 September, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened the first-ever meeting of heads of state and government focused on climate change. World leaders expressed their will to tackle climate change through concerted action, sending a strong political signal ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali.
	164 member states participated including 80 heads of state. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) emphasised the need to clearly set out a plan for avoiding dangerous climate change—to move from an international global warming pact in Bali this December to a global and comprehensive agreement, rooted in the UN Framework Convention, by December 2009 in Copenhagen.
	Four sessions were held throughout the day on the key issues of adaptation, mitigation, technology and financing. Speaking in the financing plenary my right hon Friend the Secretary of State pushed for limiting temperature rise to two degrees through a global reduction of 50 per cent. in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 on 1990 emissions; binding targets for all Annex 1 developed countries to reduce emissions and generate the carbon market finance needed to help developing countries—whose responsibilities would increase as they developed; and innovative financing for avoided deforestation, adaptation and clean energy.

Departments: Civil Proceedings

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil law suits have been brought against his Department based either wholly or partially on grounds provided by the Human Rights Act 1998; how many were settled out of court, before a court judgment was delivered; and how much such settlements cost the public purse since 1998.

Jonathan R Shaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departments: Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of questions tabled to his Department for answer on a named day received a substantive reply on the day named in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: At 29 October my Department had received 4,692 parliamentary questions, of these 798 were named day.
	376 received a substantive reply on the named day , which equates to 49 per cent.

Flood Control: Finance

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2007,  Official Report, column 85W, on flood control: finance, when he plans to publish the set of criteria which has been developed to provide greater clarity on what funding and policies for flood and coastal erosion risk management are intended to achieve.

Phil Woolas: Following public consultation, new Outcome Measures for flood and coastal erosion risk management were agreed in June and the details have been published on the DEFRA website.
	It is anticipated that the Outcome Measures will be used to set targets progressively during the period covered by the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, starting with the capital programme in 2008-09. An initial review is planned for the second half of 2008 to inform any Spending Review in 2009.

Floods: North West Region

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to upgrade drainage and sewer systems to protect against flooding, with particular reference to the North West.

Phil Woolas: Water and sewerage companies are responsible for operating and maintaining the public sewerage. They are currently formulating their long-term plans for delivering improvements to sewerage networks to ensure they meet consumer expectations and legal obligations over the long-term. Ofwat will next set price limits in 2009 for the period 2010-15 and these plans will be considered by Ofwat and the Environment Agency.
	My Department is leading development of the cross-government strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management—Making Space for Water. This is looking at a broad range of sustainable measures to manage the risk from all forms of flooding—river, coastal, groundwater, surface run-off and sewer, including consideration of urban drainage.
	In addition, our new national strategy for water, which will be published early in 2008 to take account of interim findings from Sir Michael Pitt's review of this summer's flooding, will consider surface water management and flooding with other aspects of water supply and demand, water quality, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Food

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of  (a) the food produced in the UK and  (b) the UK's annual food requirement was produced in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 29 October 2007
	 The proportion of food produced in the UK which is produced in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland based on the farm-gate value of raw food is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 England 71 71 70 71 72 
			 Wales 8 8 8 8 7 
			 Scotland 13 13 13 12 13 
			 Northern Ireland 9 9 9 9 8 
			 UK 100 100 100 100 100 
		
	
	No figures are available for the UK populations annual calorific food requirement. However, figures based on levels of consumption in the UK are available. The following table gives the proportion of food for human consumption in the UK which is produced in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland based on the farm-gate value of raw food:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 England 44 45 43 42 42 
			 Wales 5 5 5 5 4 
			 Scotland 8 8 8 7 7 
			 Northern Ireland 5 6 6 5 5 
			 UK 62 64 62 59 58

Foot and Mouth Disease: Compensation

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on compensation to farmers who have been affected by export bans arising from the most recent foot and mouth outbreak.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 19 October 2007
	It is a long established principle that the Government do not meet the costs of consequential losses which must be borne by the industry. However, we are acutely aware of the difficulties facing the industry at this time and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn), announced on 8 October a compensation package for England worth £12.5 million. This included £2 million to promote the sales of red meat and pork domestically and in our export markets.
	Promoting consumption is an important first step towards recovery. Of the £2 million committed to domestic sales promotion, some will also go to facilitating and promoting exports, including looking further ahead to re-entering traditional third country markets.
	We are in discussions with the British Pig Executive and the English Beef and Lamb Executive on how this can be spent most effectively. On 12 October, exports of meat to the EU were resumed from most of the country. We are working closely with the European Commission to decrease the restrictions that are in place on these exports, and to increase the area of the country where exports can take place from.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will meet Shropshire farmers to discuss financial support following the foot and mouth outbreak in Surrey.

Jonathan R Shaw: On 8 October, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (Hilary Benn) announced a support package worth £12.5 million to stimulate the market and assist those livestock farmers worst affected by restrictions imposed as a result of foot and mouth disease (FMD) 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 39.
	Additionally, we have taken a risk-based and staged approach to easing movement restrictions when the evidence indicates that it is appropriate to do so. This is the best way to facilitate the return to normal working for the industry. All FMD-related restrictions in Shropshire were lifted on 17 October.
	No further announcements on financial support are planned, but the Secretary of State would be happy to meet the hon. Member and a delegation of Shropshire farmers. He has asked his diary secretary to contact the hon. Member's office.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many quotes for boiler replacement by Warm Front exceeded £2,700 in each of the last three years.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows the number of Warm Front quotes for boiler replacements that exceeded 2,700, since the introduction of heating for
	all Warm Front eligible clients in 2005.
	
		
			  Period  Number of quotes exceeding £2,700 
			 1 June 2005 to 31 March 2006 364 
			 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 10,755 
			 1 April 2007 to 30 September 2007 12,458

Overseas Aid: Environment Protection

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the budget is for the Environmental Transformation Fund for  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09,  (c) 2009-10 and  (d) 2010-11.

Joan Ruddock: As announced in the Comprehensive Spending review, the domestic element of the Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF) will total £370 million over the next three years. The domestic funding will be divided between the Department for Business Enterprise Regulatory Reform (BERR) and DEFRA. DEFRA's share of the domestic ETF will be £170 million, to be invested within England, including an increase of £129 million over and above the Department's baseline budget in this area for the next three years. The Devolved Administrations will receive consequential funding from DEFRA's element of the fund.
	Discussions are under way on the allocation of this element of the fund and the breakdown over financial years will be determined in due course.
	In addition, the £800 million ETF International Window, jointly administered by DEFRA and the Department for International Development, is to be provisionally committed over the next three years to £100 million in 2008-09, £200 million in 2009-10 and £500 million in 2010-11.

Recycling: Standards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) statutory and  (b) non-statutory central government targets exist for local authorities to increase recycling and composting rates; what the dates are for those targets to be met; and on what dates the targets were introduced.

Joan Ruddock: Bi-annual statutory performance standards for recycling and composting were set for all local authorities in England for 2003-04, 2005-06 (as part of Waste Strategy 2000) and 2007-08 (announced in late 2006). Performance against these targets is measured by adding together recycling and composting rates under Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs) 82a (household waste the local authority sends for recycling) and 82b (waste sent by the authority to composting or anaerobic digestion). All BVPIs are monitored annually by the Audit Commission.
	There are a number of BVPIs which relate to waste. Each year, Communities and Local Government (CLG) works with other Government Departments to set indicators for the next financial year. All authorities have a statutory duty to secure continuous improvement against these indicators.
	Many of the BVPI's have been in effect since the start of Best Value in April 2000. However, some new indicators have been set, and some existing indicators have been revised either to improve their definition or to be more keenly aligned with Government policy.
	The new set of national indicators for local authorities and local authority partnerships was announced on 9 October. These will apply from 2008-09 and will be measured on an annual basis. The 198 indicators are the means of measuring national priorities agreed by the Government and will allow us to performance-manage outcomes delivered by local government, working alone or in partnerships
	There are three annual waste indicators:
	household waste not reused, recycled or composted (kilograms per head residual waste)
	household waste recycled and composted (per cent.)
	municipal waste landfilled (per cent.)
	CLG will be consulting shortly (November 2007) on technical definitions for all these indicators.
	The Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme (LATS), which was launched in April 2005, also places limits on the amount of biodegradable municipal waste that local authorities can landfill. Local authorities that exceed their limits are liable to a penalty of £150 per tonne.
	In addition, the Household Waste Recycling Act 2003 requires all waste collection authorities (subject to certain exemptions) to provide a separate kerbside collection service for at least two recyclable materials by 2010.

Renewable Energy: Standards

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received from  (a) industry and  (b) other Government departments on the EU target to achieve 20 per cent. of energy needs from renewable sources by 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Secretary of State regularly meets representatives from industry and colleagues in other Government Departments to discuss the most effective ways to reduce carbon emissions, including issues relating to renewable energy.

Renewable Energy: Standards

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with other EU member states on means of achieving the agreed EU renewable energy targets.

Phil Woolas: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

Vaccines: Pirbright Laboratory

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to permit Merial to recommence research into bluetongue vaccines at Pirbright.

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects Merial to start manufacturing the BTV-8 vaccine at Pirbright; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the manufacture of foot and mouth virus to recommence at Pirbright; and what conditions will be placed on that manufacture.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 29 October 2007
	We have not prevented Merial from conducting research into a bluetongue vaccine as their Pirbright site is primarily a production, rather than research, facility. Merial conduct the majority of their research elsewhere.
	The Merial facility at Pirbright has been unable to carry out work with live virus since 4 August when it became evident that Pirbright was a potential source of the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD). Merial voluntarily agreed to suspend the use of live virus at that facility because of the large volumes involved in vaccine production. This arrangement was subsequently formalised through an amendment to their licence under the Specified Animal Pathogens Order (SAPO) 1998.
	The suspension has meant that Merial have temporarily been unable to produce vaccine at Pirbright, although we have recently permitted them to use small quantities of viruses for quality control and vaccine tests following further SAPO inspections.
	Detailed inspections are urgently being completed at the site and, provided these are fully satisfactory, and that the new heat treatment system is operating satisfactorily, we hope to be able to permit the use of large amounts of live virus within the next few weeks. This would enable Merial to re-commence vaccine production, but only under strict controls.

Adult Education: Basic Skills

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1462-3W, on adult education: basic skills, how many adults aged 25 and over and funded through further education or University for Life were enrolled on programmes which had a weighting for Skills for Life in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05 and  (c) 2005-06; how many learners enrolled through employment and training providers or Train to Gain are on programmes which receive such a weighting; and whether these learners are additional to the number of learners given in the answer.

Bill Rammell: Figures for adults funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) under the Skills for Life programme can be derived from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). The number of learners aged 25 and over and enrolled on programmes in either FE or with University for Industry for each of the three years is as follows:
	
		
			   Adults aged 25+ ( T housand) 
			 2003/04 148.5 
			 2004/05 185.1 
			 2005/06 223.2 
		
	
	All of these learners were working towards Skills for Life learning aims and their achievements had the potential to contribute to the Skills for Life PSA target. However, Skills for Life involves a number of funding streams, some of which provide an additional weighting for those programmes deemed most accessible to the most disadvantaged learners, but not all. It is not possible to determine from LSC ILR data how many of these learners are workplace learners.
	Train to Gain was rolled out gradually from April 2006. Therefore, there is no data available for the years specified for Skills for Life achievements within Train to Gain. However, 28,660 took up Skills for Life learning opportunities through the Employer Training Pilots (ETP) that pre-dated Train to Gain from September 2002 until August 2005. No further data is available beyond this date at present. No Skills for Life weighting applies to Skills for Life learning within either ETPs or Train to Gain, but all achievements have the potential to count towards the target.

Cambridge-MIT Institute

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  if he will make available annual reports of the Cambridge-MIT Institute for each year since its inception in 2000;
	(2)  how the Cambridge-MIT Institute has performed against each of its performance targets set by Government for each year since its inception in 2000.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 10 September 2007
	The annual returns to Companies House for the Cambridge-MIT Institute Limited are already in the public domain. The Cambridge-MIT Institute has published an annual review for the year 2004-05. The final report on the Cambridge-MIT Institute will be published shortly. There are no annual performance targets set by Government for the Cambridge-MIT Institute.

Departmental Responsibilities

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on what date the Transfer of Function Order detailing the changes in his Department was laid before Parliament for approval.

Bill Rammell: No Transfer of Functions Order has yet been made relating to the machinery of government changes affecting this Department in June 2007.

Departments: Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on how many occasions he has visited each region in an official capacity since appointment.

John Denham: Since the creation of the Department in June 2007, I have visited the following regions in an official capacity: East Midlands once; the North East once; the North West once; the South once; the South West once; London five times and Yorkshire and Humber three times.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Departments: Public Bodies

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will list his Department's and its predecessors'  (a) executive agencies,  (b) executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs),  (c) advisory NDPBs,  (d) tribunal NDPBs,  (e) trading funds and  (f) public corporations in each financial year since 2005-06.

Bill Rammell: The Department's bodies are listed as follows:
	
		
			Department 's  bodies 
			  (a) Executive Agencies National Weights and Measures Laboratory 
			   Intellectual Property Office (formerly Patent Office) 
			
			  (b) Executive NDPBs British Hallmarking Council (part of NWML) 
			   Design Council 
			   Technology Strategy Board 
			   National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts 
			
			Research Councils: 
			   Arts and Humanities Research Council 
			   Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council 
			   Economic and Social Research Council 
			   Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council 
			   Medical Research Council 
			   Natural Environment Research Council 
			   Science and Technology Facilities Council formed by the merger between Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils and Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council on 1 April 2007 
			
			   Construction Industry Training Board 
			   Engineering Construction Industry Training Board 
			   Higher Education Funding Council for England 
			   Investors in People UK 
			   Learning and Skills Council 
			   Office for Fair Access 
			   Quality Improvement Agency for Lifelong Learning 
			   Sector Skills Development Agency 
			   Student Loans Company Ltd 
			   UK Commission for Employment and Skills 
			
			  (c) Advisory NDPBs Council for Science and Technology 
			   Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property 
			
			  (d) Tribunal NDPs Copyright Tribunal (part of Patent Office) 
			   Insolvency Practitioners Tribunal 
		
	
	My Department has no  (e) trading funds or  (f) public corporations.
	The public bodies for which the predecessor Departments were responsible in 2005-06 onwards are listed in Public Bodies at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/other/agencies/public_bodies/index.asp
	and on departmental websites. The former Department for Education and Skills Annual Report lists public bodies at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/pdfs/deptreport2007.pdf

Departments: Recruitment

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will bring forward proposals to allow contractors employed by his Department to apply for internal job vacancies advertised within his Department; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department has no plans to allow contractors to apply for internal job vacancies advertised. Permanent members of staff only are eligible to apply for internal job vacancies. Contractors are not employees of the Department. If we are unable to fill a post internally, we may advertise the vacancy externally. In this instance, the principles of the Civil Service Commissioners recruitment code would be applied. The code is mandatory and must be followed when any post if opened up to competition from outside the civil service. The fundamental principle is that appointments must be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.
	The Department has received no representations on this issue.

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people have been appointed to his Department outside Civil Service grades in the last 30 days.

David Lammy: The information requested is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	My Department does publish information annually on appointments to the public bodies for which it is responsible. Data for 2006-07 was published in the DfES annual report at:
	www.dfes.gov.uk/aboutus/reports

Departments: Retirement

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) executive agency and (ii) non-departmental public body funded by his Department applied to continue to work beyond state retirement age in the latest year or part thereof for which figures are available; and how many of those applications were successful.

David Lammy: The Department has no set retirement age for the majority of staff. A retirement age of 65 has been adopted by central Government for the Senior Civil Service (SCS) but members of the SCS can request to work beyond that age.
	The Department has not received any requests from SCS members to work beyond 65 years of age.

Education: Elderly

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of older people in formal learning or educational programmes.

David Lammy: We recognise the invaluable contribution that older people can and do make to the economic and social wellbeing of this country. We are committed to ensuring that learning serves the needs of the whole community, including older people both within and outside the work force. Our strategy for World Class Skills and our reforms of wider adult learning are designed to ensure that everyone, whatever their age or background, has the opportunity to improve their skills, prospects and quality of life.
	Older people will continue to benefit from a wide range of publicly-funded learning opportunities. Many will be able to take advantage of access to literacy and numeracy courses free of charge, as well as free tuition to a first full Level 2 qualification. Older people in the work force will benefit from our work with employers to upskill or reskill in line with the changing needs of the economy. Older people will also benefit from our commitment to safeguard the funding of learning for personal and community development at £210 million through to 2010/11.
	Our wider policies aim to encourage older people, especially the disadvantaged and those in hard to reach groups, to take up learning through a variety of other learning opportunities, including: unlocking the potential of libraries, museums and galleries as places of learning for older people in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; helping them to access Information and Communications Technology through UK Online; working with Home Office and other partners to encourage older people to use their skills and learn new skills as peer mentors and volunteers; and improving guidance and publicity materials for older people from minority ethnic groups.

Higher Education: Applications

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many applications for undergraduate university courses were made by students from each London constituency in each year since 2005-06.

Bill Rammell: The information is not held by my Department. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) collect information on applicants to full-time undergraduate courses at UK higher education institutions but they do not produce figures on the number of applicants by parliamentary constituency.
	The latest figures which were published by UCAS on 17 October showed that, compared to 2006, applicants from England who had been accepted for entry in 2007 had risen by 6.4 per cent. to 306,000, the highest ever.

Laboratories: Security

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much was spent on the security of  (a) public and  (b) private institutions studying pathogens which act on (i) humans and (ii) animals in each of the last five years in 2006 prices.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not collected centrally by Government. The Government do not provide specific funding to research establishments in order that they comply with proscribed biological security standards. If an organisation can not meet the standard, licenses are either not supplied or revoked. Legislation covering the security of pathogens and toxins is captured within the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act (ATCSA, 2001).

Learndirect

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many new learners enrolled in learndirect centres in each of the last three years; and how many centres are enrolling new learners;
	(2)  how many qualifications were obtained by learndirect learners in each of the last three years, broken down by level of qualification; and how many of them were  (a) IT qualifications and  (b) in other areas of content.

David Lammy: The number of learners, new in-year to Ufi, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the past three years is 524,000 in 2004/05; 367,000 in 2005/06; and 249,000 in 2006/07. Over the same period, the number of learndirect centres enrolling new learners has been 1,587 in 2004/05; 1,152 in 1,036 in 2006/07.
	The reductions in Ufi's learner numbers are part of our strategy to offer longer courses related to our national targets. We now focus funding on the courses where it can make the most difference rather than shorter courses which provide less benefit. Ufi has moved towards a significantly greater number of learners on priority courses. The number of learners gaining their first Skills for Life test passes has doubled over the past three years and those learners gaining their first NVQ qualification has risen from zero to over 3,500 in the same period.
	The number of qualifications obtained by learndirect learners is shown in the table as follows.
	
		
			  Qualification  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07 
			 1(st) Skills for Life test
			 Level 1 18,837 38,057 33,588 
			 Level 2 10,707 19,007 24,617 
			 Total Skills for Life 29,544 57,064 58,205 
			 
			 1(st) NVQ Qualification
			 IT Qualification 0 0 1,001 
			 Non-IT Qualification 0 0 2,573 
			 Total 1(st) NVQ Qualification 0 0 3,574 
			 
			 Total IT Qualifications 0 0 1,001 
			 Total Non-IT Qualifications: 29,544 57,064 60,778 
			 Total Qualifications 29,544 57,064 61,779 
			 
			 Total Level 1 Qualifications 18,837 38,057 33,588 
			 Total Level 2 Qualifications 10,707 19,007 28,191

Training: Doctors

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the average  (a) training and  (b) student support costs were to train (i) a doctor on a conventional undergraduate training scheme over six years and (ii) a doctor on a fast-track postgraduate training scheme over four years in the latest period for which figures are available; and from which budgets the funding was drawn.

Bill Rammell: In the period between entry to medical school and full registration, it is estimated that training a doctor costs between £225,000 and £275,000. Doctors generally continue training after full registration. As the duration and nature of post-registration training varies greatly and as service and training costs are closely related it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the total cost of training.

Vocational Education

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking together with  (a) Jobcentre Plus and  (b) the Department of Work and Pensions to improve coordination of education and training programmes in the post-16 sector.

David Lammy: The Department and the Learning and Skills Council are working closely with the Department of Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus to implement the proposals outlined in World Class Skills: Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England and the Green Paper: In Work, better off, both published in July this year.
	There is a joint commitment to provide services to help low skilled people and those disadvantaged in the labour market into sustainable employment and progression in work and in skills. We will give greater ownership and choice to individuals over their training through skills accounts backed up by a new universal adult careers service promoting personal advancement. Jobcentre Plus has a pivotal role in ensuring its customers can access skills training both before and during employment. The LSC is ensuring that its budget is progressively spent on more responsive and flexible training tailored to the needs of the individual and local job opportunities. The LSC and Jobcentre Plus have had joint plans in place since 2005 across England which are reviewed regularly.

Child Minding: Qualifications

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of early years staff qualified to level 3 are registered childminders;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of registered childminders  (a) had no qualifications,  (b) were qualified to level 1 or 2,  (c) were qualified to level 3 and  (d) were qualified to level 4 or above in each year since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: Information is not available in the requested format.
	Ofsted does not hold details about the qualifications held by registered child minders. Under the "National standards for under 8s day care and childminding", child care qualifications are not a requirement for persons wishing to apply to act as a child minder. All applicants must complete a registration course approved by the local authority within six months of registration. Ofsted monitors child minders to make sure they have attended such a course.
	Ofsted have produced figures on the numbers of registered child care providers and places on a quarterly basis from March 2003. Their latest figures were published in their report "Registered Childcare Providers and Places, June 2007", which is available on their website,
	www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications.
	The Department is committed to ensuring a greater proportion of the work force is qualified to levels 2 and 3 and to encourage continued professional development at all levels. Over the period 2006-08, the Department is funding early years workforce development through the Transformation Fund. Local authorities can use the fund to boost training at levels 3, 4 and 5 for the work force, including registered child minders, working in the PVI sector.
	Local authorities have also been allocated significant funding from the comprehensive spending review (CSR) period to support work force development across the sector, with a clear focus on achieving level 3 qualifications.

Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service: Vacancies

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many posts have been vacant in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service for more than three months;
	(2)  what the average number of reports prepared by each caseworker in  (a) public and  (b) private law was in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in each of the last five years;
	(3)  whether there has been an effect on the timing of preparation of child protection cases arising from staff  (a) turnover and  (b) shortages in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in the 2006-07 financial year.

Kevin Brennan: These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Departments: Correspondence

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department follows on the maximum time taken to respond to hon. Members' correspondence; and what performance against that target was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The Cabinet Office publishes guidance for Departments on "Handling Correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords. MEPs, and Members of Devolved Assemblies". Copies are available in the Libraries of the House and it is also available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetQffice.gov.uk/upload/assets/www.cabinet office.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/correspondence.pdf
	The Cabinet Office also publishes on an annual basis, a report on Departments' and agencies performance on handling Members and Peers correspondence. This includes the target set by each Department to reply to hon. Members, the number of letters received and the percentage of replies within target. The last report for 2006 was published by the then Minister for the Cabinet Office (Hilary Armstrong) on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 101-04WS.

Departments: Departmental Reorganisation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what date the Transfer of Function Order detailing the changes in his Department was laid before Parliament for approval.

Kevin Brennan: No Transfer of Functions Order has yet been made relating to the Machinery of Government changes affecting this Department in June 2007.

Departments: Manpower

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) executive agency and (ii) non-departmental public body funded by his Department are above state retirement age.

Kevin Brennan: The Department currently employs a total of 40 staff (1.4 per cent.) above state retirement age. The Department is not responsible for any executive agency.
	Non-departmental public bodies are responsible for data regarding their employees and the information requested is not held centrally by the Department.

Departments: Policy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what policy changes his Department has implemented since 27 June 2007.

Kevin Brennan: The Department has implemented a number of new and changed policies since 27 June 2007. Ministers have kept Parliament fully informed of these changes. For example, the following have been announced:
	a nationwide consultation with teachers, children's professionals, universities, colleges and the voluntary sector, parents, and children and young people themselves to draw up a Children's Plan for our country;
	details of the first five new Diplomas and plans for additional Diplomas in Science, Languages and the Humanities to increase the options for 14 to 19-year-olds;
	a new National Council for Educational Excellence to drive forward the Government's long term aspirations for children and young people's education;
	a review of the teaching of maths to be led by Sir Peter Williams, Chancellor of Leicester University and chair of the Advisory Committee on Maths Education;
	a major consultation on children and young people's safety where we are seeking views from parents, children and young people, our partners and the children's workforce;
	more rigorous inspection of pupil behaviour with Ofsted to issue strong new guidance to inspectors which will be clear that behaviour by pupils that has a negative impact on learning is unacceptable;
	21.9 billion of capital investment allocations to local authorities to raise standards with state-of-the-art classroom, arts, sports and ICT facilities over the next three years;
	£150 million Assessment for Learning training over the next three years to help teachers better track their pupils' progress and personalise their learning to stretch gifted children and help underachieving children catch-up;
	a £265 million extended schools subsidy over the next three years to ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds benefit from extra out-of-hours tuition and after-school clubs in sport, music and drama.

Departments: Press

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when his  (a) Ministers,  (b) officials and  (c) special advisers briefed journalists at the  Financial Times on his statement on 10 July 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Department made copies of my parliamentary statement available and briefed media, including the  Financial Times, after he delivered my statement to the House.

Headteachers: Stockport

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of headteachers in Stockport Metropolitan Borough are within  (a) one year,  (b) two years,  (c) three years,  (d) five years and  (e) 10 years of standard pension age.

Jim Knight: The normal pension age (NPA) of teachers who entered service before 1 January 2007 is 60. Entrants to the profession from that date have a NPA of 65. NPA is the age at which members of the teachers' pension scheme can retire without any actuarial reduction to their pension benefits.
	The following table provides the percentage of full-time head teachers in service in the maintained schools sector in England within 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 5 years and 10 years of the NPA 60, in March 2006, the latest information available.
	
		
			  Teacher numbers and percentage( 1)  of full-time head teachers in service in maintained sector schools( 2)  in Stockport( 3)  and England, by number of years before the normal pension age (age 60), March 2006 
			  Number/percentage 
			   Stockport( 3)  England 
			  Number   
			 Teachers 130 22,510 
			
			  Percentage   
			 Less than   
			 1 4 3 
			 2 10 7 
			 3 14 12 
			 5 28 25 
			 10 56 58 
			 (1) Percentages are cumulative. (2) Excludes Academies. (3) Local authority information is not normally reported from the Database of Teacher Records due to data quality concerns but data for Stockport is sufficiently complete.  Notes: 1. Reforms of the Teachers' Pension Scheme that were introduced in January 2007 and which include a NPA of 65 for new entrants included new provisions that are specifically aimed at encouraging teachers to extend their working lives. These new provisions will provide a real and attractive alternative to teachers' traditional approach to retirement. 2. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Database of Teacher Records (Age proportions) and 618g (Overall teacher numbers)

Pupil Exclusions

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to following his predecessor's Department's research on school exclusions  (a) to give schools clear targets to lower levels of exclusions,  (b) to increase and expand mentoring schemes,  (c) to help with the transition from primary to secondary school,  (d) to provide support for teachers when dealing with difficult pupils and  (e) to encourage early intervention with difficult pupils.

Kevin Brennan: We back a head teacher's decision to exclude a pupil from school where their bad behaviour warrants it. We will not give schools targets for reducing exclusions. Rather, our aim is to ensure that misbehaviour is tackled early so as to reduce the need for exclusion. We have taken steps to help schools improve the management of behaviour in the classroom.
	We are also carrying out a wide ranging programme of work to reduce disproportionate exclusions among Black Caribbean and Mixed White/Black Caribbean pupils following the recommendations in last December's report "Getting it. Getting it Right".
	Behaviour management is a central part of teacher training. Current standards for qualified teacher status require teachers to know a range of strategies for promoting good behaviour, setting high expectations for pupils' behaviour and establishing a clear framework for classroom discipline. Our Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning curriculum programme tackles the causes of bad behaviour and bullying by helping children develop self-control and good relationships.
	In line with the new Department's wider responsibilities, we are increasingly emphasising the need for early intervention with young people across a range of issues. From September 2007 secondary schools have been working in partnership to improve behaviour and tackle persistent absence with a strong emphasis on early intervention, and managing the transition from primary to secondary school, to reduce the need for exclusion.

Pupils: Intimidation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1092-94W on pupils: intimidation, if he will list all other prompts the National Strategies use to assess whether a school needs additional support with its anti-bullying work; and what percentage of  (a) primary schools and  (b) secondary schools are tackling bullying effectively, according to each prompt.

Kevin Brennan: Further to the answer given to question 147174 on 4 July, the other prompts which the National Strategies used during 2006-07 to assess whether a school needed additional support with its anti-bullying work were:  (a) strategies to improve attendance;  (b) the effectiveness of leadership and management; and  (c) schools' effective use of the range of local authority (LA) support services to reduce low level disruption. Any of those prompts may have triggered a discussion between the LA behaviour and attendance consultant, National Strategies Regional Adviser and/or the school about bullying and appropriate follow-up taken. But only the specific anti-bullying prompt referred to in the answer given on 4 July triggered the return of data to the Department relating to bullying.
	However, two additional prompts specifically relating to bullying were introduced from autumn 2007. These were:
	 School impact prompt: Leadership and management of schools and settings
	Schools are able to demonstrate a rigorous process that has resulted in the development of an anti-bullying policy that includes all types of bullying, and informs effective practice based on the DCSF anti-bullying guidance and the principles of the DCSF "Bullying—A Charter for Action". This is supported by evidence from Ofsted reports, pupil surveys, school self evaluation and other evidence that reports schools have a positive climate for learning where all pupils feel safe and secure.
	 LA impact prompt: Strategic leadership and management of LAs
	The LA supports and challenges schools effectively to ensure a reduction in incidents of bullying. This includes:
	opportunities to share effective practice;
	guidance for policy development, recording and monitoring;
	support to all schools in following the good practice advice in the DCSF anti-bullying guidance and the principles of the DCSF "Bullying—A Charter for Action" as a basis for their anti-bullying policies and practice.
	Data will be available on both of the above prompts from November 2007.

Teachers: Training

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the  (a) target and  (b) outturn numbers of recruits to initial teacher training in each secondary school subject were in each year since 2001-02; what the target is for 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: Data on targets set for recruitment to Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in each secondary subject for each academic year between 2001/02 and 2007/08 were published in January 2007 in the School Workforce in England (including pupil: teacher ratios and pupil: adult ratios), January 2006 (Revised) volume. These figures are available from the following link:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000681/index.shtml
	The table of interest is table A3 within '(Additional tables giving information on initial teacher training. (added January 2007))'
	Recruitment figures to ITT courses in each secondary school subject each academic year between 2001/02 and 2006/07 can also be found in this volume. The table of interest is table A1 within '(Additional tables giving information on initial teacher training. (added January 2007))'

Bullwood Hall Prison: Foreigners

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  on what date the decision was taken to use HMP Bullwood Hall and HMP Canterbury primarily for detention of foreign national prisoners;
	(2)  on what date the decision was taken to use HMP Bullwood Hall and HMP Canterbury primarily for detention of foreign national prisoners.

David Hanson: The decision was taken in May 2006 (Canterbury) and June 2006 (Bullwood Hall). These prisons are used to hold foreign national prisoners who are being considered by the Borders and Immigration Agency (BIA) for removal from the United Kingdom, in order to streamline caseworking procedures between BIA and the Prison Service.

Children: Protection

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he next expects to meet his counterparts in the Scottish Executive to discuss cross-border co-operation on the protection of children from sex offenders; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Consultation is currently taking place between officials in the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Executive. The revised Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) Guidance is scheduled for distribution to Probation Areas in England and Wales on 31 October 2007. This Guidance includes material on how effectively to manage the transfer of cross-border cases. Further consultation at official level is planned, after which advice will be provided to Ministers on strengthening cross-border co-operation.

Departments: Pay

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria were used for determining pay hotspots for his Department's employees.

Bridget Prentice: A new pay system has recently been introduced for employees in the former DCA now employed in the Ministry of Justice, with five regional pay ranges. Courts and offices were allocated to the Hotspots pay ranges following economic research and analysis of earnings and salary survey data, analysis of internal departmental data on key retention indicators such as turnover rates, as well as consultation with local senior managers. This was the case with all of the pay ranges introduced as part of the new pay arrangements. There will be an annual review of the operation of the pay system, including the criteria used to allocate offices to pay ranges.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what dates his Department breached its  (a) resource,  (b) near-cash,  (c) administration and  (d) capital budgets; what the total value of each breach was; and what the reason was for each breach.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May 2007 through the merging of the Department for Constitutional Affairs and part of the Home Office (the National Offender Management Service and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform). As a result of the Machinery of Government change, there are no formal historic budgets for Resource DEL, Administration and Capital DEL against which to compare outturn.
	Details for the Ex-DCA and ex-HO Departments can be found in the relevant HM Treasury Provisional Expenditure Outturn publications:
	PEOWP 2001-02 (Cm 5574)
	PEOWP 2002-03 (Cm 5884)
	PEOWP 2003-04 (Cm 6293)
	PEOWP 2004-05 (Cm 6639)
	PEOWP 2005-06 (Cm 6883)
	PEOWP 2006-07 (Cm 7156)
	These are available in the Libraries of the House.
	PEOWP reports provisional outturn figures for the year against the final HM Treasury control totals on the basis of the budgeting regime that applied in-year. Spending is reported for Departments as they were constituted at the end of the relevant year.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what departmental budget items have been reclassified, under Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, following Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 decisions; and what the  (a) former and  (b) new (i) classification and (ii) sum budgeted is in each case.

Maria Eagle: Following the creation of the Ministry of Justice, the initial 2007-08 administration baseline was £720 million. In keeping with the sentiment expressed in the HMT budgeting guidance that all items directly associated with direct frontline delivery of a service are classified as programme costs, analysis was conducted and resulted in a reclassification of £261 million of costs.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Previous administration budget  HMT agreed reclassification  Revised CSR administration budget 
			 Ministry of Justice Group(1) total 720 261 459 
			 (1) The Ministry of Justice Group includes Northern Ireland Court Service, The National Archives, Scotland Office, Wales Office and the Electoral Commission. 
		
	
	The business areas affected by reclassification of expenditure from administration to programme costs were e-Delivery group, HMCS, Tribunals Service, Public Guardianship Office and Official Solicitor and Public Trustee.
	Details of all classification changes in resource and capital budgets made since publication of the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance 2007 will be published after Budget 2008 in chapter 3 of "Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2008".

Departments: Retirement

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) executive agency and (ii) non-departmental public body funded by his Department applied to continue to work beyond state retirement age in the latest year or part thereof for which figures are available; and how many of those applications were successful.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice has delegated employment terms and conditions under the Civil Service (Management functions) Act 1992, and as a consequence, does not have a retirement age policy. Applications to work past the state retirement age are dealt with at a local business level and considered on an individual basis. As a consequence, information on the number of applications and the number of successful applications for working beyond state retirement age is not held centrally and to collate this would incur disproportionate costs. However, the numbers of staff (headcount) "actually working" above state retirement age are available as at 30 September 2007 and have been compiled as follows:
	 (a) The total number of staff above state retirement age, employed by the Ministry of Justice (former DCA) as at 30 September 2007, taken from the Ministry of Justices' internal Human Resource Systems are as follows:
	
		
			  Ministry of Justice head quarters  Number of staff above 65 (state retirement age) 
			 Formerly Department for Constitutional Affairs HQ (excl. agencies) 7 
			 OCJR 2 
			 NOMS 3 
			 MOJ HQ Total 10 
		
	
	 (b) (i) The total number of staff above state retirement age, employed by the Ministry of Justice Agencies (former DCA and its Agencies) as at 30 September 2007, taken from the Ministry of Justices' internal Human Resource Systems are as follows:
	
		
			  Ministry of Justices' Agencies  Number of staff above 65 (state retirement age) 
			 HM Courts Service 296 
			 Public Guardianship Office 3 
			 Tribunals Service 20 
			 Scotland Office (excl. Office of Advocate General) 1 
			 Wales Office 2 
			 HMPS 127 
			 MOJ Agencies' Total 449 
		
	
	 (b) (ii) The information requested is not available for non-departmental public bodies as the data is not held centrally and to collate this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Freedom of Information: Compensation

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information he holds on which Government departments have a policy of making compensation payments to people making requests to them under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 when the deadlines for providing information set out in that Act are not complied with.

Michael Wills: There is no provision in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for compensation payments to be made and the Ministry of Justice has no knowledge or information about Government Departments having a policy to do so.

National Identity

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proposals for a national motto have been made to him.

Michael Wills: My Department has received a number of suggestions for a national motto and I welcome the interest this debate has generated, in the context of the wider debate about what it means to be British and part of British society. We will shortly be announcing a wide range of measures to take discussion forward on the content and format of a British Statement of Values and the purposes for which it should be used.

Parole: Foreigners

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many foreign nationals were released from prison on end of custody licence between  (a) 29 June and 5 July,  (b) 6 July and 31 July,  (c) 1 August and 31 August and  (d) 1 September and 30 September 2007;
	(2)  how many foreign nationals were released from prison on end of custody licence  (a) between 29 June and 5 July,  (b) 6 July and 31 July,  (c) 1 August and 31 August and  (d) 1 September and 30 September 2007.

David Hanson: Foreign national prisoners who are liable to deportation at the end of their sentence are not eligible for release under the End of Custody Licence scheme. The following table shows the numbers of foreign national prisoners who did not meet the criteria for deportation and so were released as part of the ECL scheme since the end of June 2007:
	
		
			  FNPs released 
			  Period  FNP releases on ECL 
			 29 June—5 July 102 
			 6 July—31 July 129 
			 1 August—31 August 144 
			 1 September—30 September 127 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Pentonville Prison: Disciplinary Proceedings

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many disciplinary hearings have been heard at HM Prison Pentonville for those staff who were suspended under corruption investigations; what the  (a) date and  (b) outcome was of each hearing; how many remain outstanding and for what reasons in each case; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what measures are in place to ensure that uniformed prison staff do not work excessive hours in carrying out bedwatch duties; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pentonville Prison: Governing Bodies

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many years' experience the previous governing governor of HM Prison Pentonville had as a governing governor before taking up the post as governing governor of the establishment; whether this was a managed move; who was responsible for authorising the move; which skills were defined as necessary to fill the role; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what training in professional standards the previous governing governor of HM Prison Pentonville had before taking up post as head of professional standards issues at HM Prison Service; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  for what reason the previous governor of HM Prison Pentonville was transferred to the Professional Standards Unit; whether this was a managed move; who was responsible for authorising the move; what skills were defined by that person as necessary to fill the role; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Prior to his appointment as governor of Pentonville prison, Mr. Deighton held a previous appointment as governor of Exeter prison from 1 November 1999 until 29 December 2001. He transferred to Pentonville, as governor, following a period as a team leader with HM Inspectorate of Prisons. His appointment to Pentonville was managed, partly to facilitate his return to operational duties on completion of a three-year tour of duty with the inspectorate. He transferred as Head of the Professional Standards Unit (PSU) earlier this year.
	In line with the published policy of HM Prison Service, all operational senior manager appointments require the approval of the relevant director and the deputy director general of the service as chair of the succession planning committee. This applies both to managed appointments and those filled through selection following an internal advertisement.
	It would be inappropriate to discuss the reasons for individual appointments as they frequently take into account personal circumstances or developmental issues as well as any particular individual skills that a person might bring to a post.
	There is no training course that would be suitable for an incoming head of PSU. As an operational senior manager Mr. Deighton would have acquired substantial knowledge of matters that have a bearing on the work of the unit. Mr. Deighton's developmental needs will be assessed by his line manager as part of the Prison Service's performance management arrangements, on an ongoing basis.

Personation

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of identity fraud being carried out as a result of information received via on-line applications for change of title administered by the Land Registry.

Michael Wills: Very few applications are currently made online to alter the Land Register for England and Wales. Online applications can only be lodged by accredited professional customers, for example solicitors, banks and other mortgage lenders, using Land Registry's secure online system. Effective audit trails are in place and users of the system must comply with tightly drawn terms and conditions. Land Registry has no evidence, as far as it is aware, that any fraud has been perpetrated by such online application.
	The vast majority of applications for alteration of the register, including applications that will give effect to change of ownership, are still lodged in paper form by professional customers who have obligations under Money Laundering Regulations and other professional obligations to check the identity of their clients. Land Registry is aware of frauds that have been perpetrated using applications in paper form. In 2006-07 it paid compensation on 24 claims arising from fraud. In the same year, it dealt with nearly 4 million applications to register transfers for value and mortgages.
	Land Registry has identified that perpetration of frauds affecting the register pose a strategic risk and is reviewing the security controls and access restrictions in place for its internal and external online systems. It is also reviewing procedures for dealing with applications lodged in paper form, to see what can be done to strengthen the protection they provide against fraud.
	The following safeguards are already in place;
	None of the applications that can currently be made online will result in a direct change of ownership of title.
	Non-professional conveyancers cannot lodge applications for the alteration of the register online.
	Solicitors, banks and mortgage lenders are obliged to check and confirm the identity of clients either by their professional codes of conduct or domestic security controls.
	Most applications lodged online are currently subject to Land Registry intervention, i.e. they require manual processing, allowing additional validation by Land Registry's staff.
	Very few applications are lodged direct with Land Registry by non-conveyancers.
	 Land Registry's assessment of fraud
	Land Registry is currently assessing what further security controls and access restrictions could be introduced to reduce the possibility of information being obtained by someone who may use it for a fraudulent purpose.
	Land Registry's Board have approved an anti-fraud strategy and various initiatives are being undertaken to reduce the likelihood of a registration fraud being successful.
	Land Registry is looking at incidents of fraud or attempted fraud both against Land Registry and more generally and is working with the police to assess what additional safeguards may be needed to prevent wrongful registration where fraud has occurred.
	Land Registry has checks and processes in place, whether applications are lodged by professional customers or by non-conveyancers to help detect and prevent the registration of fraudulent applications and is working on strengthening those controls.
	Land Registry reviews its systems and processes regularly to identify, amongst other things, where system and process changes are necessary.
	Land Registry has taken action to raise staff awareness of ID fraud.

Prison Service: Corruption

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  on what date Michael Spurr was interviewed as part of the Tasker investigation; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 390W, on the Tasker inquiry, who the previous commissioning authority referred to in the answer was; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  on what date  (a) Keith Munns and  (b) Nick Pascoe received a copy of the partial report of the Tasker inquiry; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  on what date Keith Munns was interviewed as part of the Tasker inquiry; on what date he relinquished responsibility as commissioning authority for the inquiry; to whom he relinquished it; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  on what date Nick Pascoe took over the commissioning authority role for the Tasker inquiry; who the commissioning authority was immediately before that; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  who was responsible as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry after Keith Munns was interviewed as part of the investigation; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  whether the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service had access to the partial report of the Tasker inquiry prior to  (a) agreeing to be interviewed and  (b) being interviewed as part of the investigation; and if he will make a statement;
	(8)  who acted as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry between the retirement of Keith Munns and the transfer to Nick Pascoe; and if he will make a statement;
	(9)  on what date Ron Tasker was informed that  (a) Keith Munns had ceased to be the commissioning authority for his investigation and  (b) Nick Pascoe had assumed responsibility; whether a draft of his interim report had been submitted to the commissioning authority previous to either of these dates; to whom the draft of the interim report was submitted and on what date; and if he will make a statement;
	(10)  what representations were received by  (a) Helen Edwards and  (b) Phil Wheatley on Keith Munns' role as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry (i) while area manager for London, (ii) at the point of his retirement and (iii) subsequent to his retirement; and if he will make a statement;
	(11)  whether the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service had access to the interim report of the Tasker inquiry before being interviewed as part of the inquiry on 10 May 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(12)  pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2057W, on the Prison Service: public appointments, to whom Keith Munns was reporting when he was supporting the completion of the Tasker inquiry report; whether he was supporting Nick Pascoe or Michael Spurr in the preparation of the interim report of the Tasker inquiry; whether Michael Spurr was acting as the commissioning authority at the time of the appointment of Keith Munns for that role; on what date that appointment took place; and if he will make a statement;
	(13)  pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1684W, on the Tasker inquiry, what the change in the terms of reference for the Tasker investigation was; and if he will make a statement;
	(14)  on what date the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service first asked Nick Pascoe to assume responsibility as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry; on what date he became commissioning authority; and if he will make a statement;
	(15)  whether the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service has held responsibility as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry; and if he will make a statement;
	(16)  pursuant to the answers of 31 January 2007,  Official Report, column 201W, on the Tasker investigation, 6 March 2007,  Official Report, column1941W, on the Prison Service: disclosure of information and 23 April 2007,  Official Report, column 980W, on Wandsworth Prison, what the cause is of the delay in the completion of the report of the Tasker inquiry; what estimate he has made of the additional cost incurred as a consequence of these delays; when he expects the Tasker report to be  (a) completed and  (b) submitted; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Due to the number and detail of the linked questions it has not been possible to provide a full response. I will write to the hon. Member once I have considered fully.
	 Substantive answer from Maria Eagle to Henry Bellingham:
	Before the recess I wrote to you to say that I would write further in response to your questions numbered 150961-65,150974-78, 150981, 151041, 151050-51, 151053, and 151075.
	I should mention from the outset that the Tasker report has now been received and accepted by the Area Manager for London who will be writing to the relevant individuals in the near future.
	In your questions you raised various issues about the commissioning authorities. Although much of this information has been provided before I should make clear that there have only been two commissioning authorities, namely Keith Munns and Nick Pascoe (the former and current Area Managers for London). There was no gap between the two. Michael Spurr has never been commissioning authority and has still not seen any of the report.
	Nick Pascoe became Commissioning Authority, as you have again already been informed on an unspecified date after 1 February 2007 following a routine line management conversation with Michael Spurr, the DDG. Ron Tasker was informed of the change on 10 May.
	I should add that the Commissioning Authority function is primarily an administrative requirement under Prison Service Orders and that his/her role is to set terms of reference, appoint an investigating officer, ensure adequate resources are allocated and take receipt of the investigation report on conclusion.
	The first chapter of the report was submitted to Keith Munns on 9 April and to Nick Pascoe on 16 April. Keith Munns was not involved in the completion of the report, but had been retained to provide support to the commissioning authority because of his knowledge of the issues involved.
	Various representations have been made to Helen Edwards and Phil Wheatley about Keith Munns' role as commissioning authority. It is the Prison Service's view that the role of Keith Munns was entirely appropriate and consistent with policy.
	Finally, the report, which as I have said has recently been accepted by Nick Pascoe, was delayed because of the complexity and breadth of the investigation, the number of witnesses requiring interviewing (the last interview taking place on the 14th August 2007), and the amount of correspondence and questions in relation to the investigation that have required responses. The costs of completing the investigation are still being calculated.

Prison Service: Industrial Disputes

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the net cost to his Department was of industrial action by prison officers on 29 August.

David Hanson: It is at the moment too early to be able to give the net cost of the industrial action by Prison Officers on 29 August as this information is still being collated from across the prison estate.
	I will write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as the net cost of the action has been established.
	 Substantive answer from David Hanson to Edward Garnier:
	In September you tabled a question asking to know the net costs to the Prison Service of the industrial action by prison officers on 29 August 2007. At the time of my reply costs were unknown as they were still being collated across the Prison Service. I am now writing as promised to give you the information requested.
	Costs incurred to the Prison Service, and other parts of the National Offender Management Service at the time totalled £519,000. In addition to this £146,000 has been spent refurbishing cells damaged by prisoners at HMYOI Lancaster Farms during the industrial action by prison officers. The overall costs totalling £665,000 have been offset by salary reductions for the staff who took part in the industrial action totalling £734,666. The overall net position was therefore was a budget saving of £69,666.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) assaults on,  (b) sexual assaults on and  (c) homicides of prisoners by other prisoners occurred in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many  (a) assaults and  (b) sexual assaults on prison officers by prisoners occurred in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: Measuring violence in prisons is imprecise. Acts of violence first have to be recognised as violence, secondly reported and thirdly recorded consistently. Different aspects of reported acts of violence can be counted in different ways, for example by reference to the act itself, the perpetrator, the victim, or the injury.
	The following tables contain the numbers requested. Although information on assault incidents has been collected since 1997, the emphasis initially was on reporting more serious incidents and most fights tended not to be reported on the Incident Reporting System. However, all assaults including fights are required to be reported, and due to significantly improved reporting, figures from 2002 are not directly comparable with those collected in earlier years. They are therefore presented separately.
	
		
			  Table 1: Assaults 1997 to 2001 
			  Type of assault  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001 
			 Apparent homicides 2 4 — 3 — 
			 Prisoner on prisoner sexual assaults 45 62 76 82 69 
			 Prisoner on prisoner assaults 2,441 3,813 5,458 7,188 7,939 
			 Prisoner on officer sexual assaults 23 13 15 15 11 
			 Prisoner on officer assaults 1,710 1,589 1,867 1,931 2,378 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Assaults 2002-06 
			  Type of assault  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Apparent homicides — 1 2 3 — 
			 Prisoner on prisoner sexual assaults 112 92 102 87 93 
			 Prisoner on prisoner assaults 8,699 8,955 9,410 10,887 11,520 
			 Prisoner on officer sexual assaults 14 18 20 22 27 
			 Prisoner on officer assaults 2,503 2,522 2,761 3,091 3,123

Prisons: Standards

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints have been received by HM Prison Service about the commissioning of Ron Tasker's investigation; what action was taken on receipt of these complaints; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: My Department does not hold a central record of complaints received by the Prison Service into the commissioning of the Tasker investigation.

Racially Aggravated Offences

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for inciting racial hatred there were in each year since 1997.

Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
	The Attorney-General's Office keeps data on prosecutions under part III of the Public Order Act 1986, relating to offences concerning conduct intended to, or likely to, stir up racial hatred. The following table captures the relevant AGO data for the period 1997 to 2007 inclusive. The AGO statistics are recorded by reference to the year in which each case was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service by the police, rather than the year in which an offender was eventually convicted.
	
		
			  Year( 1)  Number of offenders convicted 
			 1997 4 
			 1998 0 
			 1999 3 
			 2000 5 
			 2001 1 
			 2002 1 
			 2003 7 
			 2004 3 
			 2005 2 
			 2006 3 
			 2007 0 
			 Total 29 
			 (1) Year the case were referred to CPS by police.

Sexual Offences: Children

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of sexual offences against children in each year from 1980-81 to 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Information on the number of people convicted of sexual offences against children for the years 1995 to 2005 can be viewed in the following table.
	Information for 1980 to 1994 is being gathered and I will write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy in the Libraries of the House once available.
	Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
	
		
			  The number of persons found guilty at all courts for sexual offences against children in England and Wales for the years 1995 to 2005( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   Found guilty 
			 1995 2,300 
			 1996 2,599 
			 1997 2,660 
			 1998 2,557 
			 1999 2,507 
			 2000 2,286 
			 2001 2,163 
			 2002 2,284 
			 2003 2,154 
			 2004 2,399 
			 2005 2,198 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (3) 128 offences have been used In this table and include sections of the following statutes: Sexual Offences Act 2003, Sexual Offences Act 1956, Sexual Offences Act 1956 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sexual Offences Act 1956 as amended by Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, Sexual Offences Act 1956 as amended by the Sexual Offences Act 1967.  (4) Some offences have been omitted as the vast majority of data will be against adults, and a minority will be against children.   Source:  Court proceedings database—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	 Substantive answer from David Hanson to David Laws:
	In the response to PQ 153941 sent on 10/09/2007 I undertook to provide the additional information when it became available.
	Information on the number of people convicted of sexual offences against children for the years 1980 to 1994 can be viewed in the attached table.
	Court proceedings data is available on a calendar year basis.
	Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
	I am placing a copy of this letter in the library of the House of Commons.
	
		
			  The number of persons found guilty at all courts for sexual offences against children in England and Wales for the years 19 80  to  1994( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   Found guilty 
			 1980 2,428 
			 1981 2,508 
			 1982 2,553 
			 1983 2,477 
			 1984 2,356 
			 1985 2,456 
			 1986 2,275 
			 1987 2,554 
			 1988 2,708 
			 1989 2,544 
			 1990 2,484 
			 1991 2,230 
			 1992 2,071 
			 1993 1,804 
			 1994 1,989 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (3) 128 offences have been used In this table and include sections of the following statutes: Sexual Offences Act 2003, Sexual Offences Act 1956, Sexual Offences Act 1956 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sexual Offences Act 1956 as amended by Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, Sexual Offences Act 1956 as amended by the Sexual Offences Act 1967.  (4) Some offences have been omitted as the vast majority of data will be against adults, and a minority will be against children.   Source:  Court proceedings database—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice.

Sexual Offences: Eastern Region

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people on the Sex Offenders Register are in  (a) the East of England and  (b) Suffolk; and how many of these are being supervised by the Probation Service.

Maria Eagle: The number of sex offenders who are subject to notification requirements in  (a) the East of England and  (b) Suffolk who are managed through the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Registered sex offenders (RSOs) 
			Number 
			  (a) East of England 2,824 
			  (b) Suffolk 413 
		
	
	We do not collect data centrally to distinguish the number of offenders who are both subject to notification requirements and who are under the supervision of the Probation Service. This information would be available only at a disproportionate cost.

Sexual Offences: Monitoring

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make a statement on his plans to increase public awareness of how sex offenders are housed in the community.

Maria Eagle: In England and Wales, a proportion of convicted sex offenders living in the community are housed in Approved Premises (formerly Probation and Bail Hostels). Approved Premises provide for enhanced supervision and for restrictions on offenders that would not be possible were such offenders to be dispersed into alternative accommodation in the community.
	Earlier this year, the Government published the report of their review of the protection of children from sex offenders. The report reaffirmed using Approved Premises to supervise certain sex offenders on release from custody. It also advocated a number of measures designed to increase public awareness of the way that sex offenders are managed in the community. All of those recommendations were accepted and are in the process of being introduced.
	In Scotland, the Scottish Executive's approach to housing sex offenders in the community is set out in the national strategy on the accommodation of sex offenders, published in 2007.

Sudbury Prison: Prisoner Escapes

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many inmates have absconded from Sudbury open prison since the beginning of the year; how many of these were convicted murderers; and what further steps he is taking to ensure that persons sent to prison remain in custody.

David Hanson: The information requested is being collated and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.
	 Substantive answer from David Hanson to Greg Knight:
	I recently undertook to write to you following your Parliamentary Question of 23 October. The information that you requested has now been collated by the Prison Service.
	Between 1 April and 30 September 2007 28 prisoners absconded from Sudbury open prison compared to 50 absconds for the same period in 2006. Two of these 28 prisoners were convicted for murder. Six of the 28 prisoners are still at large including one of the two murderers. A wide range of measures are in force to prevent absconds including rigorous intelligence systems to identify prisoners likely to abscond. In addition, HMP Sudbury is collaborating successfully with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure prosecution of absconders, acting as a further deterrent.

British Waterways Board: Finance

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department plans to make a financial contribution to British Waterways; whether she has had discussions with British Waterways on funding; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: DEFRA is the single Government sponsor of British waterways (BW) in England and Wales. It provides core funding towards the upkeep of its waterways. Other Government Departments have the flexibility to fund the inland waterways direct where they can deliver specific policy requirements, e.g. through grants for regeneration and freight projects where funds are provided to reflect the contribution of inland waterways to Departmental objectives.
	My Department has had no direct discussions with BW on funding. However I understand that DEFRA and BW are working closely together on planning for the CSR07 period in the context of the Department's overall priorities and financial pressures. DEFRA is also working with BW on a new long term strategy for a sustainable network that delivers wider government priorities including regeneration, protection of historic and natural environment, well being and freight.

Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which organisations were included in her Department's consultation prior to the preparation of the second compliance report under the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities; and how these organisations were selected.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Communities and Local Government took over responsibility for the preparation of the UK's second compliance report under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities from the Home Office in May 2006. The Department prepared a draft report drawing on contributions from other Government Departments and the Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The draft report was then sent for comment to those Departments and Administrations, as well as to the Commission for Racial Equality, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and a range of non-governmental organisations. Annex A to the second compliance report lists the non-governmental bodies to whom the draft report was sent. The list was based on that used by the Home Office for the first compliance report, along with other organisations who had requested copies of the draft report since then. The second compliance report was transmitted to the Council of Europe in February 2007. Copies of the report were placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It can also be viewed on the Council of Europe's website at:
	www.coe.int/T/E/human_rights/minorities/

Council Housing: Construction

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many council houses were built in each of the last 30 years.

Yvette Cooper: The numbers of local authority dwellings built in each year since 1976 are tabulated as follows. Also included are the numbers of registered social landlord "social for rent" new build completions and total completions. The figures do not include social housing acquisitions which also increase the stock. In total in 2007-08 there will be 30,000 additional social housing units increasing to 45,000 additional social housing units by 2010-11. The Green Paper includes ways for more councils to build social housing.
	
		
			  New build "social rent" completions since 1976, England 
			   Local authority( 1)  Registered social landlords( 2) 
			 1976 118,093 14,436 
			 1977 115,839 24,193 
			 1978 93,304 20,572 
			 1979 74,790 16,275 
			 1980-81 74,776 19,927 
			 1981-82 48,241 15,040 
			 1982-83 29,534 10,763 
			 1983-84 29,538 14,776 
			 1984-85 28,774 13,351 
			 1985-86 21,965 10,910 
			 1986-87 19,206 10,369 
			 1987-88 16,215 11,206 
			 1988-89 16,151 10,766 
			 1989-90 14,784 10,914 
			 1990-91 12,958 14,575 
			
			 1991-92 7,113 14,657 
			 1992-93 2,579 36,931 
			 1993-94 1,451 38,816 
			 1994-95 853 39,867 
			 1995-96 757 43,458 
			 1996-97 451 29,146 
			 1997-98 323 23,692 
			 1998-99 178 22,429 
			 1999-2000 58 19,516 
			 2000-01 179 17,303 
			 2001-02 63 17,506 
			 2002-03 199 16,588 
			 2003-04 191 16,557 
			 2004-05 100 16,818 
			 2005-06 299 18,353 
			 2006-07 245 (3)21,500 
			 (3) Estimate.  Source: (1) New build completions from P2 returns submitted by local authorities and National House Building Council (NHBC) (2) For years up to 1990-91 figures are from P2 and NHBC. From 1991-92 figures are "social rent" new build as reported by the Housing Corporation and include figures on S106 agreements. 
		
	
	New build social for rent dwellings only make up part of the affordable supply; the remainder being acquired by registered social landlords or through new build intermediate housing e.g. low cost home ownership.

Council Tax: Statistics

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what statistics her Department collects on the amount and proportion of unpaid council tax which is written off.

John Healey: Details of the amount of unpaid council tax that has been written off by local authorities are collected on the Quarterly Return of Council Taxes and Non-Domestic Rates (QRC4) form that is completed annually by all billing authorities.

Departments: Accountancy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what departmental budget items have been reclassified, under Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, following Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 decisions; and what the  (a) former and  (b) new (i) classification and (ii) sum budgeted is in each case.

Parmjit Dhanda: No budget items for this Department have been reclassified as part of CSR07 decisions.

Departments: Assets

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what departmental assets are planned to be sold in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2010-11; what the  (a) description and  (b) book value of each such asset is; and what the expected revenue from each such sale is.

Parmjit Dhanda: The central Department has no property assets planned to be sold from 2007-08 to 2010-11. Asset management policy for its other classes of assets is to fully use them up before planned disposal, as nil value waste, rather than as saleable assets. In consequence there are no plans for asset sales by the central part of the Department in the period.
	The Asset Management Strategy for the whole Communities and Local Government family is planned to be published in December.

Departments: Cost Effectiveness

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what efficiency savings her Department was required to make as part of its Spending Review 2004 (SR04) targets; what efficiency projects have been undertaken in the Department in pursuit of those targets; on what date each was initiated; and how much each was predicted to contribute to the SR04 target.

Parmjit Dhanda: The details of the workstreams within our efficiency programme, including how much each was predicted to contribute towards the SR04 target are contained within the Efficiency Technical Note published in December 2005 by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	The Department regularly publishes details on the progress made on meeting its efficiency target, including a breakdown of efficiency savings made in each workstream, in both its annual report and autumn performance report.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which financial years since 2001 her Department's outturn for its capital budget at the end of the year was less than planned at the beginning of the year; and what the  (a) value and  (b) reason for the underspend was in each case.

Parmjit Dhanda: The National Audit Office measures spending performance against plans by comparing outturns against final provision following Supplementary Estimates—rather than against plans at the start of the year—as plans can change during the year for a number of reasons, such as machinery of government and classification changes. The definitive figures for final provision and provisional outturn are published each year in the Public Expenditure Outturns White Paper. Changes to plans arising in-year are published in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, as are differences between provisional and final outturns.
	In recent years, the Department's capital underspends have been reducing and have generally been below 5 per cent. The exception to this was in 2004-05, when a delay, (caused by circumstances outside the Department's control and known only in the last week of the year) of a £225 million property transfer from NHS Estates to English Partnerships caused a larger underspend.
	Underspends which have arisen have generally been as a result of slippage on capital projects or of forecast capital acquisitions, which can occur for various reasons, not always in the control of the Department.

Elections: Northumberland

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many representations she has received in favour of elections to the new Northumberland Unitary Authority being held in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009.

John Healey: holding answer 25 October 2007
	 We are continuing our dialogue with the affected authorities about election dates on the basis of our discussion paper, "Councils' Proposals for Unitary Local Government—An Approach to Implementation" published on 22 August. Once we have reached a final view, as reflected in any Order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, we will publish a summary of all representations and comments we have received on this matter.

Emergency Services

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the FireControl business case has considered the merits of tri-service emergency centres.

Parmjit Dhanda: Two independent reports by consultants Mott MacDonald looked at the provision of control room services including tri-service centres. The reports concluded that efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of fire control services could best be achieved from the amalgamation of existing controls into nine regional control centres. These reports informed the decision to proceed with FireControl.
	The FireControl Business Case sets out the costs and benefits of the FireControl project. It compares the merits of the proposed FireControl arrangements with those of the existing arrangements, which includes the tri-service centres.

Fire Service: Manpower

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 1030-31W, on fire service: manpower, what assessment she has made of the effect of the change in the number of control room operators, managers and other support staff to be employed at each fire control centre.

Parmjit Dhanda: We expect that the total number of staff in the new regional control centres (RCCs) to be around 30 per cent. less than the number currently employed in the control rooms of English fire authorities. As a result we expect there will be efficiency savings.
	The forecast staffing numbers will ensure the new system will match or exceed the performance of existing arrangements. The new system will also deliver enhanced resilience and functionality.
	The model used to generate forecast staff numbers is based on a range of data and assumptions. The model has been developed involving stakeholders from the fire and rescue service.
	The decision on the actual numbers of staff to be employed in each control centre will be for its RCC company to determine.

Gazumping

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to tackle gazumping.

Yvette Cooper: The introduction of compulsory Home Information Packs, coupled with e-conveyancing and the Department's work on wider reforms to home buying and selling aim to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the current home buying and selling process, including by discouraging gazumping.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was paid in aggregate to staff within the Home Information Pack Division in bonuses in the last year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: I will write to the hon. Member.

Home Information Packs: Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total funding is being provided by her Department to subsidise  (a) home information packs and  (b) energy performance certificates.

Yvette Cooper: In September 2006 the Department announced that up to 4m would be allocated to support six area trials in England and Wales.
	In addition in May 2007 the Department announced funding of up to £0.5 million for up to 5,000 EPCs to be included in HIPs ordered prior to 1 August.
	In July 2007, the Department offered 50 per cent. funding for pilot projects to examine the technical production of EPCs for social housing. £2 million funding was allotted for registered social landlords (via the Housing Corporation) and up to £1.5 million for local authorities.

Home Information Packs: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact of the introduction of home information packs on the residential housing market in the Peterborough City Council area; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Homebuy Options

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to increase the take up of the different Homebuy options.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 18 December 2007
	Since 1 April 2006, over 20,000 households across all regions have been helped into home ownership through Open Market Homebuy, New Build Homebuy (shared ownership) and Social Homebuy, the shared ownership and shared equity products funded through the Housing Corporation. The Housing Corporation is on course to meet their overall target for 2006-08.
	To increase overall take up of Homebuy and particularly to increase new build shared ownerships schemes the Government will invest through the Housing Corporation to fund at least 25,000 low cost home ownership homes a year from 2008-09. In addition the Government are promoting other ways to increase investment in the affordable housing industry though use of public sector land and piloting local housing companies.
	Open Market Homebuy, which enables purchasers to buy with the help of an equity loan, aims to build a market for private sector involvement in shared equity which could ultimately stretch grant funding further. Currently four lenders are participating and offering shared equity mortgages under the scheme, though these products only suit some groups of first time buyers. In order to extend this to provide products suitable for a wider range of first time buyers we want to promote further private sector involvement in shared equity mortgages, to make products more competitive, and to widen choice and access. Therefore we will launch new shared equity products next year based on the competition being run by the Housing Corporation.
	We have also appointed Brian Pomeroy to advise us on development of the private shared equity market.
	In the meantime we agreed in the Green Paper that Government will provide an additional 17.5 per cent. shared equity product in the interim from July 2007 in order to widen access and choice and provide more flexibility.
	The provision of new shared ownership housing continues to rise and is helping purchasers to get on the housing ladder with shares from 25 per cent.
	Social Homebuy is running as a voluntary pilot scheme until March 2008. The pilot scheme enables tenants of nine local authorities and 77 housing associations to purchase a minimum 25 per cent. share in their rented home at a discount. The Government are reviewing the operation of the pilots in order to look at more ways to help social housing tenants own assets.

Homebuy Options

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households have taken advantage of each of the three homebuy options since their inception.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 18 December 2007
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer earlier today (Question 109683).
	The following table sets out the completions for the Homebuy/shared ownership products from April 2006 until September 2007.
	
		
			   Total  c ompletions 
			 Open Market Homebuy 3,477 
			 New Build Homebuy/Shared Ownership 18,029 
			 Social Homebuy Pilot Scheme 88 
			 Total Shared Ownership and Shared Equity 21,594 
			  Notes:  1. NBHB/SO excludes 11 units through LASHG LA with debt schemes.  2. NBHB/SO figures include RCGF units of 1,044 and 2,562 of RCGF units from 2005-06 not previously counted.  3. 1/4/07 to 30/9/07 NBHB/SO figures include 50 units through Thames Gateway Social HomeBuy includes sales in both the housing association and local authority sectors.

Housing: Immigrants

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many dwellings were  (a) vacated and  (b) taken up by A8 EU Accession Country Migrants in each month since January 2004 through Peterborough city council's Choice Based Lettings Scheme.

Yvette Cooper: Information on dwellings that were  (a) vacated by A8 EU Accession Country Migrants is not collected centrally. Information on  (b) social lettings made to A8 EU Accessions Country Migrants through Choice Based Lettings scheme is not currently available. Since this Government came into power, we have strengthened the regulations which restricts access to social housing for foreign nationals.

Housing: Low Incomes

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much public expenditure was incurred on  (a) social homebuy,  (b) newbuild homebuy and  (c) open market homebuy in each financial year.

Yvette Cooper: The following table sets out the expenditure through the Housing Corporation Affordable Housing Programme for the delivery of shared ownership and shared equity products from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007
	
		
			   Forecast public expenditure (£ million) 
			 Open Market Homebuy 76.9 
			 New Build Homebuy and Shared Ownership 320.5 
			 Social Homebuy 0.5 
		
	
	Funding and completions are not directly comparable, as funding will relate to projects running, not necessarily units completed, in any one year.

Housing: Low Incomes

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households took out a mortgage under new building homebuy in each month since the creation of the scheme.

Yvette Cooper: New build and shared ownership completions as a result of the Housing Corporation funding are set out in the following table. These figures do not include shared ownership homes funded through FTBI, Transitional Local Authority Social Housing Grant for with debt authorities and section 106 without grant.
	
		
			  New build homebuy and shared ownership—completions from 1 April 2006-30 September 2007 
			   Number 
			  2006-07  
			 April 27 
			 May 265 
			 June 342 
			 July 505 
			 August 584 
			 September 957 
			 October 671 
			 November 668 
			 December 1,308 
			 January 1,003 
			 February 904 
			 March 3,795 
			 Total 11,029 
			   
			  2007-08  
			 April 61 
			 May 178 
			 June 655 
			 July 611 
			 August 630 
			 September 1,259 
			 Total 3,394 
			   
			 Grand total 14,423 
			  Note: These figures do not include completed units through Recycled Capital Grant Fund

Housing: Low Incomes

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households took out a shared equity mortgage under Open Market Homebuy in each month since the creation of the scheme.

Yvette Cooper: The table sets out completions under the Open Market Homebuy scheme which is promoting private sector involvement in shared equity mortgages. Currently four lenders are participating in the joint public/private 25 per cent. equity loan. The Government believe more competitive products are needed to reach a wider number of first time buyers and has asked Brian Pomeroy to look at ways to better extend private sector involvement in shared equity in order to help more first time buyers.
	
		
			  Open market Home b uy—completions from 1 April 2006 to 30 September 2007 
			   2006-07  2007-08 
			 April 38 4 
			 May 1 230 
			 June 44 177 
			 July 189 171 
			 August 418 227 
			 September 423 161 
			 October 361 — 
			 November 176 — 
			 December 175 — 
			 January 97 — 
			 February 176 — 
			 March 409 — 
			 Total 2,507 970 
			
			 Grand total  3,477

Housing: Low Incomes

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the regional distribution is of the stock of homes purchased under the Government's  (a) social Homebuy,  (b) open market,  (c) Homebuy and  (d) shared ownership initiatives.

Yvette Cooper: I refer my hon. Friend to my response of 30 October to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) [Question 109683].
	The following table shows completions through Social Homebuy, Open Market Homebuy, New Build Homebuy/shared ownership schemes by region from April 2006 to September 2007.
	
		
			  Regional Completions 1 April 2006 to 30 September 2007 
			   Social Homebuy  Open market Homebuy  New build Homebuy/share ownership 
			 North East 7 4 119 
			 North West 10 101 783 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 24 106 526 
			 East Midlands 4 73 1,013 
			 West Midlands 2 207 1,,015 
			 East 0 422 1,556 
			 London 39 1,163 4,717 
			 South East 2 1,222 3,476 
			 South West 0 1,79 1,229 
			 Total 88 3,477 14,434 
			  Notes:  1. 2006-07 Regional figures for shared ownership include 58 units through Thames Gateway (all in London) and 11 through LASHG LA with debt schemes.  2. 2007-08 end September figures include, in London, 50 shared ownership units provided through Thames Gateway  3. Regional figures do not include 1,044 RCGF completion or 2,562 2005-06 RCGF completions

Housing: Low Incomes

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of  (a) home completions and  (b) planning permission awards in each Government office of the regions area in England were affordable; and what proportion of these were for (i) sale, (ii) rent, (iii) shared equity ownership and (iv) other housing tenure format in each of the last 10 years for which records are available.

Yvette Cooper: Tabulated as follows are the numbers of house building completions in each region in England since 1997-98. Also shown are the relative proportions of house building activity by tenure in each year. It is not possible to distinguish between owner occupied and private rent. Similar information on the numbers of planning permission awards by tenure is not held centrally.
	Not all affordable housing supply is through new build completions, supply can also come from the acquisition and refurbishment of private sector homes. In the 10 years between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 2007, approximately 120,000 additional affordable homes were supplied through acquisitions which are not represented in the following table. Complete figures for 2006-07 are not yet available.
	
		
			  House building completions by tenure 
			   Affordable housing completions( 1)  (new build only) (percentage)  Private sector completions (percentage)  Total new build completions( 2)  (number) 
			   Social rent  Intermediate  Proportions  Units 
			  North East 
			 1997-98 14 2 83 7,581 
			 1998-99 13 2 85 6,541 
			 1999-2000 10 1 89 7,196 
			 2000-01 7 1 92 6,641 
			 2001-02 11 2 87 6,429 
			 2002-03 5 0 95 5,607 
			 2003-04 9 0 90 5,939 
			 2004-05 8 1 91 7,132 
			 2005-06 10 3 86 7,637 
			 2006-07(3) — — — 8,193 
			  
			  North West 
			 1997-98 14 3 83 19,201 
			 1998-99 15 3 81 19,217 
			 1999-2000 12 2 86 18,281 
			 2000-01 11 2 87 18,172 
			 2001-02 13 3 84 15,835 
			 2002-03 11 3 86 18,197 
			 2003-04 6 3 91 17,752 
			 2004-05 7 4 89 17,905 
			 2005-06 6 4 90 20,619 
			 2006-07(3) — — — 18,110 
			  
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 
			 1997-98 13 3 83 15,464 
			 1998-99 11 3 86 13,083 
			 1999-2000 10 2 88 13,324 
			 2000-01 10 1 89 13,344 
			 2001-02 9 1 89 13,171 
			 2002-03 8 1 91 13,200 
			 2003-04 8 2 90 13,996 
			 2004-05 7 1 91 14,187 
			 2005-06 8 3 89 16,035 
			 2006-07(3) — — — 16,461 
			  
			  East Midlands 
			 1997-98 11 3 86 14,549 
			 1998-99 11 2 87 14,759 
			 1999-2000 7 2 91 16,484 
			 2000-01 8 2 90 13,675 
			 2001-02 8 1 91 14,102 
			 2002-03 8 1 91 14,875 
			 2003-04 7 2 90 14,375 
			 2004-05 7 3 90 15,465 
			 2005-06 9 6 84 16,886 
			 2006-07(3) — — — 18,171 
			  
			  West Midlands 
			 1997-98 16 3 81 13,392 
			 1998-99 15 2 82 14,253 
			 1999-2000 16 2 82 15,377 
			 2000-01 15 1 84 14,094 
			 2001-02 12 3 85 13,373 
			 2002-03 15 3 82 13,872 
			 2003-04 12 3 84 13,843 
			 2004-05 14 6 80 14,153 
			 2005-06 14 10 77 16,191 
			 2006-07(3) — — — 15,097 
			  
			  East 
			 1997-98 12 2 87 21,301 
			 1998-99 15 1 84 18,954 
			 1999-2000 10 0 89 18,767 
			 2000-01 13 1 86 16,026 
			 2001-02 14 1 85 15,616 
			 2002-03 12 1 86 17,844 
			 2003-04 13 2 85 18,395 
			 2004-05 13 2 85 19,885 
			 2005-06 14 6 79 20,251 
			 2006-07(3)22,616 
			  
			  London 
			 1997-98 30 6 64 13,623 
			 1998-99 26 7 67 14,877 
			 1999-2000 26 6 68 13,928 
			 2000-01 28 6 66 14,492 
			 2001-02 30 6 64 13,927 
			 2002-03 22 8 70 15,670 
			 2003-04 22 9 70 19,394 
			 2004-05 17 9 73 24,063 
			 2005-06 25 12 63 18,809 
			 2006-07(3) — — — 21,846 
			  
			  South East 
			 1997-98 19 2 78 25,441 
			 1998-99 20 3 77 23,199 
			 1999-2000 16 1 83 22,797 
			 2000-01 14 3 83 21,839 
			 2001-02 15 3 82 21,815 
			 2002-03 14 4 81 22,745 
			 2003-04 15 7 78 24,280 
			 2004-05 15 12 73 25,692 
			 2005-06 14 11 75 28,209 
			 2006-07(3) — — — 27,698 
			  
			  South West 
			 1997-98 17 2 81 19,003 
			 1998-99 14 2 84 15,825 
			 1999-2000 15 1 83 15,892 
			 2000-01 14 1 85 14,972 
			 2001-02 14 2 84 15,598 
			 2002-03 12 2 86 15,729 
			 2003-04 16 2 82 15,984 
			 2004-05 11 5 84 17,411 
			 2005-06 14 7 79 18,761 
			 2006-07(3) — — — 19,499 
			  
			  England 
			 1997-98 16 3 81 149,555 
			 1998-99 16 3 81 140,708 
			 1999-2000 14 2 84 142,046 
			 2000-01 14 2 84 133,255 
			 2001-02 14 2 83 129,866 
			 2002-03 13 3 84 137,739 
			 2003-04 13 4 83 143,958 
			 2004-05 12 6 82 155,893 
			 2005-06 13 7 80 163,398 
			 2006-07(3) — — — 167,691 
			 (3) Provisional .  Note: Due to founding proportions might not add to exactly 100 per cent. Sources: (1) Housing Corporation, HSSA returns from local authorities. (2) P2 house building returns from local authorities and National House-Building Council.

Housing: Low Incomes

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) councils and  (b) housing associations are participating in the (i) Social Homebuy scheme, (ii) Open Market Homebuy scheme and  (c) New Build Homebuy scheme.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is as follows:
	(i)  (a) I refer the hon. Member to my response of 29 October 2007 to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) (Question 109683).
	(ii) The Open Market Homebuy scheme is being offered across the country by 23 housing associations appointed as Homebuy Agents.
	(iii) 77 housing associations have an allocation to provide New Build Homebuy properties in 2006-08.

Housing: Low Incomes

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many contracts have been exchanged for properties under the  (a) Social Homebuy scheme,  (b) Open Market Homebuy scheme and  (c) New Build Homebuy scheme in each government office region.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 30 October to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle Upon Tyne Central (Jim Cousins) (question 141752).

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Social Homebuy sales have been completed in each government office region in England.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 30 October to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Jim Cousins) (question 141752).

Housing: Low Incomes

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties have been purchased under the Open Market Homebuy schemes.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 30 October (question 109682).

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of Social Homebuy purchasers have purchased  (a) 100 per cent. shares and  (b) shares between 10 per cent. and 100 per cent.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 30 October (question 109683).
	Of the 88 sales up to the end of September under the pilot Social Homebuy scheme, a quarter of sales involved the purchase of shares between 25 per cent. and 75 per cent.

Housing: Low Incomes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many transactions have been completed for sales under the New Build Homebuy scheme;
	(2)  how many transactions have been completed for sales under the Open Market Homebuy and Extended Open Market Homebuy schemes.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to my response of 30 October to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) (question 109683).
	Most of the Social Homebuy pilot sales have been in the housing association sector, with three up to the end of September in the local authority sector.

Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will hold discussions with Peterborough City Council on the impact of EU migration on the provision of social housing in Peterborough.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 19 October 2007
	 Ministers have received no request from Peterborough city council to hold discussions on the impact of EU migration on the provision of social housing in Peterborough. However, a Minister from Communities and Local Government regularly discusses the impact of migration on services throughout the United Kingdom, including housing, at meetings of the Migration Impacts Forum. The forum is jointly chaired between this Department and the Home Office. The forum is made up of representatives from both within and outside of government and the most recent meeting of the forum took place on 17 October.

Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individuals from EU Accession 8 countries have been classified as not habitually resident in the UK but homeless in Peterborough constituency in the period since May 2004; how many have subsequently been housed through the Peterborough city council choice based lettings system; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Data on habitual residency is not held centrally.

Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many citizens of EU Accession 8 countries have been refused admittance to the housing waiting list of Peterborough city council under section 160A(7) of the Housing Act 1996 since May 2004; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many individuals who are not UK citizens are on the priority banding system of the Peterborough city council housing waiting list at  (a) band 1,  (b) band 2,  (c) band 3,  (d) band 4 and  (e) band 5; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if she will make an estimate of the number of people on the Peterborough city council housing waiting list who have  (a) Lithuanian and  (b) Polish nationality;
	(4)  if she will make an estimate of the proportion of the Peterborough city council Choice Based Lettings housing waiting list which is made up by individuals who do not hold British nationality.

Iain Wright: Local authorities in England report the numbers of households (not people) on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. However, information is not collected centrally on  (a) whether the household has been refused admittance to the housing waiting list;  (b) information on the priority banding system of the waiting list;  (c) the nationality of the household on the waiting list or  (d) individual Choice Based Lettings registers,
	The number of households on Peterborough's housing waiting list, as at 1 April each year, is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600. The link for this table is given as follows:
	http://www.comm.unities.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=1163853
	Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get on to the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house—particularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time.
	Since this Government came into power, we have strengthened the regulations which determine eligibility for access to social housing for foreign nationals.

Licensing: Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether information on  (a) applications and  (b) consents for premises selling alcohol or regulated entertainment under the Licensing Act 2003 is (i) required or (ii) at the seller's discretion for inclusion in home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: This information may be included in the Home Information Pack at the seller's discretion.

Local Authorities: Voluntary Organisations

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice she has given to local authorities on the resource implications of implementing local compacts between local public bodies and the voluntary and community sector; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Effective, mutually beneficial partnership working underpins our relationship with the Third Sector. If utilised, local compacts can help deliver real change for communities.
	Resourcing of local compacts is, however, a local issue. The Compact's Code of Good Practice on Funding and Procurement recognises that the main partners comprising local partnerships should work together to effectively resource local compacts, through;
	local public bodies sharing the cost of development and partnership building;
	partnership boards including contributions in spending plans and government funding programme bids; and
	Voluntary and community groups providing a package of support in kind, such as expertise, community links and use of networks.
	In addition, our Local Area Agreement Guidance refers to local authorities having regard to the capacity of the sector.

Muslim Council of Britain

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures her Department uses to assess whether the Muslim Council of Britain is tackling extremism and promoting shared values.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 25 October 2007
	The Government have made clear that it is rebalancing their engagement towards those organisations which show leadership in tackling extremism and upholding shared values.
	The Department keeps its relationships with stakeholders under ongoing review to ensure that patterns of engagement continue to reinforce our objectives. The Department uses a range of measures to assess appropriate levels of engagement with all stakeholders. These include consideration of organisations' public statements and practical actions undertaken.

Non-Domestic Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the percentage change was in the average business rates bill in England in each year since 1997-98.

John Healey: Details of the percentage change in the average national non-domestic rates (i.e. business rates) bill in England in each year since 1997-98 are shown in the table this information is available on the Department's website:
	www.communities.gov.uk
	
		
			   Percentage change 
			 1997-98 -0.1 
			 1998-99 3.2 
			 1999-2000 -0.3 
			 2000-01 18.1 
			 2001-02 5.4 
			 2002-03 4.1 
			 2003-04 0.7 
			 2004-05 1.8 
			 2005-06 7.5 
			 2006-07 6.0 
			 2007-08 2.0 
		
	
	The data, which refer to the local lists only, are taken from National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR) returns submitted by billing authorities.
	Average business rate is calculated by dividing the net rate yield from local authorities' lists by the number of hereditaments on local list as at 31 December of the previous year.
	It is not possible to compare years as the rateable values for individual properties, and hence actual rates bills, vary greatly.
	Changes in the figures for the years around 2000-01 and 2005-06 are affected by adjustments made to the multiplier at the time of revaluation.
	In addition the figures for the years around 2000-01 are affected by the transfer of both Crown properties and properties from the central list (where NNDR is paid directly to this department) to local lists (where NNDR is paid to local authorities).

Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether funding allocated to local authorities from the Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund will be in the form of project-related grants.

Parmjit Dhanda: Funds from the Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund are paid through the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund as part of Local Area Agreements. They are not paid to local authorities in the form of project-related grants.

Regional Planning and Development: Greater Manchester

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress she has made on alternative economic strategies for East Manchester; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The Prime Minister has asked the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to consider, with other Government Departments, whether deprived areas can be equally well served by forms of regeneration other than a regional casino. To this end, a review of alternatives to casino-led regeneration was commissioned. This work is at an advanced stage and my right hon. Friend will report on it to the Prime Minister shortly.

Renewable Energy: Meetings

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the meetings which the Housing Minister has held with representatives of  (a) the onsite renewable energy industry and  (b) housing developers and their representatives since June 2006.

Yvette Cooper: The Minister for Housing and Planning has met representatives of housing developers on the following dates since June 2006.
	28 November 2006
	31 January 2007
	28 March 2007
	15 May 2007
	13 June 2007
	11 July 2007
	12 September 2007
	17 September 2007
	24 October 2007
	Ministers from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) have met several times with representatives of the on-site renewable energy industry since June 2006. The DBERR and the Housing Minister both sit on the task force for zero carbon homes.

Renewable Energy: Trade Associations

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which trade associations representing the onsite renewable energy sector sit on her Department's Climate Change Planning Policy Statement sounding board.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 644-45W, to the hon. Member for Chesterfield (Paul Holmes).

Renewable Energy: Yorkshire and Humberside

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  for what reasons she has struck out the draft Merton rule policy requiring 10 per cent. onsite renewable energy in all major new developments from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Spatial Strategy;
	(2)  what her Department's assessment is of the effect of ending the application of the existing Merton rule in the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Spatial Strategy on those individual local planning authorities wishing to use the rule;
	(3)  for what reasons she did not accept the independent panel's recommendations that Yorkshire and the Humber should have a minimum region-wide 10 per cent. on-site renewables planning requirement for all major new developments;
	(4)  what events and conferences  (a) she and  (b) other Ministers from her Department have addressed relating to (i) the construction and housebuilding industry and (ii) the renewable energy industry since July 2006.

Yvette Cooper: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Rescue Services: West Yorkshire

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what responsibilities West Yorkshire Fire Service has in response to water rescue; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Fire and Rescue Authorities have a general power to respond to emergencies under Section 11 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004: this encompasses responding to calls for assistance for water rescue.
	Fire and Rescue Authorities have duties to conduct risk assessments of their area as part of their Integrated Risk Management Planning process, and under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. If they conclude there is a risk in their area of incidents requiring a water rescue capability they may procure resources to respond to that risk. The flexibility in this process allows for local discretion and varying levels of risk between Fire and Rescue Authorities. In practice, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority does respond to water rescue incidents, of both people and animals.

Sports: Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to ensure that a copy of the draft feasibility study and completed feasibility study on a sporting village for Chorley commissioned by the North West Regional Development Agency is placed in the Library.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 23 October 2007
	I have placed a copy of the completed feasibility study in the Library of the House.

Financial Markets

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the parties to the tripartite agreement are to carry out a review of their actions during the recent international financial market turbulence.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 18 October 2007
	The Chancellor informed the House on 11 October of the
	"need to review how the [tripartite] framework has operated and put in place whatever practical improvements are needed".
	The Financial Services Authority and the Bank of England have announced that they will be reviewing the lessons. The Chancellor has announced his intention to evaluate options in the light of these reviews and to publish proposals in the new year.

Central Middlesex Birthing Centre: Admissions

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the annual number of patients that are likely to be admitted to Central Middlesex Birthing Centre.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally by the Department of Health.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning health services to meet the needs of the local population. I understand that in September 2007 Brent PCT and North West London Hospitals NHS Trust issued a joint public consultation document—"The future of the Brent Birth Centre". This estimates that around 300 women per annum choose to have their babies at the Brent Birth Centre, also known as the Central Middlesex Birth Centre.

Children: Cannabis

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under the age of 16 years sought treatment for cannabis use in  (a) England,  (b) the East of England and  (c) Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: We do not hold data for the whole of the period requested. Data for 2005-06 and 2006-07, the years for which data is available are contained in the following tables.
	
		
			  2005-06: Main drug of use in treatment—cannabis ages 9 -15 
			   In treatment 
			Cannabis 
			  Drug action team (DAT)  All drugs  Number  Percentage 
			 Suffolk 83 49 59 
		
	
	
		
			  2006-07 : Main drug of use in treatment—cannabis ages 9 -15 
			   In treatment 
			Cannabis 
			  DAT  All drugs  Number  Percentage 
			 Suffolk 106 57 54 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06:  Ages 9 -15 main drug cannabis 
			   In treatment 
			Cannabis 
			  Region  All drugs  Number  Percentage 
			 London 1,188 787 66 
			 North East 703 419 60 
			 South East 981 574 59 
			 Eastern 380 235 62 
			 West Midlands 585 344 59 
			 South West 698 406 58 
			 East Midlands 658 409 62 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 599 330 55 
			 North West 1,757 1,088 62 
			 Total 7,571 4,606 61 
			 Missing 22 14 — 
		
	
	
		
			  2006-07: Ages 9-15 main drug cannabis 
			   In treatment 
			Cannabis 
			  Region  All drugs  Number  Percentage 
			 London 1,619 1,039 64 
			 North East 785 358 46 
			 South East 1,253 672 54 
			 Eastern 493 277 56 
			 West Midlands 753 421 56 
			 South West 728 386 53 
			 East Midlands 677 395 58 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 771 348 45 
			 North West 2,057 1,175 57 
			 Total 9,150 5,079 56 
			 Missing 14 8 — 
		
	
	
		
			  Ages 9-15 main drug cannabis 
			   In treatment 
			Cannabis 
			   All drugs  Number  Percentage 
			 2006-07 9,031 5,037 56 
			 2005-06 7,479 4,567 61

Dental Services: Derbyshire

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS dental practices are operating in Derbyshire;
	(2)  how many dentists on NHS contracts were registered in Derbyshire in each year since 2004.

Ann Keen: Numbers of national health service dentists at primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) area as at 31 March 1997 to 2006 are available in Annex E of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006".
	This information is based on the old contractual arrangements. This report, published by The Information Centre for health and social care and a copy of the report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	Data in this report are available for High Peak and Dales PCT, Chesterfield PCT, North Eastern Derbyshire PCT, Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire PCT, Amber Valley PCT and Erewash PCT. These PCTs merged to form Derbyshire County PCT on 1 October 2006. Data are also available for Central Derby PCT and Greater Derby PCTs, which merged to form Derby City PCT on 1 October 2006.
	Numbers of NHS dentists at PCT and SHA level as at 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table El of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2006-07" report. Data in this report are available for Derbyshire County PCT.
	This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. A copy of the report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607
	The inclusion of dentists on trust led contracts in the data collection following the 2006 reforms means that data collected since April 2006 cannot be directly compared with data collected under the previous system.
	In both reports, no account is taken of the level of NHS service, if any, that each dentist provides.
	Information on the number of NHS dental practices operating in Derbyshire could only be made available at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Public Participation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many citizens' juries were arranged for  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's agencies in each year since 1997; which organisations were commissioned to conduct each citizens' jury; and what the cost was of each.

Dawn Primarolo: Data from 1997 on the number and cost of citizens' juries undertaken by the Department is not readily available. Supplying the costs and occurrences of citizens' juries would require a substantive investigation into all public engagement programmes undertaken by various divisions within the Department and its arms length bodies including the national health service at a disproportionate cost. However, we can identify details on two substantial engagement programmes the Department has recently undertaken.
	Firstly the national engagement for the "Our health, our care, our say" White Paper in 2005, for which the cost of the nationally organised listening exercise was £1.39 million. This was funded through the Department's running cost budget. The main element was £1.05 million paid to Opinion Leader Research (OLR) to deliver a major research programme, which included the cost of running a series of regional deliberative events, and a national citizens' summit attended by nearly 1,000 members of the public and a citizens' panel of 10 people. OLR's costs were incurred in the delivery of the service rather than the provision of consultancy.
	Secondly, the Department held a series of citizens' juries informing Lord Darzi's review of the NHS. Again this was a national deliberative event conducted through nine regional events in each strategic health authority outside London. On 18 September 2007 over 1,100 patients, members of the public and NHS staff were involved in the events. The aim of which was to identify the way forward for a 21(st) century NHS which is clinically-driven, patient centred and responsive to local communities. Lord Darzi, the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State (Alan Johnson) attended the event in Birmingham and were video linked to each of the other eight events. The main component of this was the nine 18 September events totalling £868,930.02.

Infectious Diseases: North East Region

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many healthcare-acquired infections there were in  (a) the North East,  (b) the Tees Valley and  (c) the area corresponding as closely as possible to Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format required.
	Mandatory surveillance of meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections commenced in April 2001, for Clostridium difficile in January 2004 and for glycopeptide-resistant enrterococci (GRE) in October 2003 for acute NHS Trusts in England.
	Data has been extracted from the Health Protection Agencies report on regional and national analyses of the Mandatory Bacteraemia Surveillance Scheme for National Health Service Trusts in the North East. This can be found in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of C. difficile reports for patients  >  65 years 
			January-Decembe r 
			  Region  Name of NHS Trust  2004  200 5  200 6 
			 North East City Hospitals Sunderland 383 436 291 
			 North East County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals 291 531 464 
			 North East Gateshead Health 197 207 169 
			 North East North Tees and Hartlepool 157 251 371 
			 North East Northumbria Health Care 367 378 507 
			 North East South Tees Hospitals 316 476 563 
			 North East South Tyneside 238 156 103 
			 North East The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals 370 365 497 
			 Total  2,319 2,800 2,965 
		
	
	
		
			  MRSA bacteraemia reports 
			   April-March 
			  Name of NHS Trust  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 City Hospitals Sunderland 41 47 56 47 47 49 
			 Count Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals 30 40 38 47 36 64 
			 Gateshead Health 11 20 36 16 28 31 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool 21 19 15 13 30 36 
			 Northumbria Health Care 45 74 67 66 78 52 
			 South Tees Hospitals 120 96 69 67 76 57 
			 South Tyneside 7 13 15 14 18 6 
			 The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals 88 71 93 90 65 74 
			 Total 363 380 389 360 378 369 
		
	
	
		
			  GRE bacteraemia reports 
			October-September 
			  Region  Name of NHS Trust  03-04  04-05  05-06 
			 North East City Hospitals Sunderland 0 0 0 
			 North East County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals 0 1 0 
			 North East Gateshead Health 0 0 0 
			 North East North Tees and Hartlepool 0 1 0 
			 North East Northumbria Health Care 0 0 1 
			 North East South Tees Hospitals 1 0 2 
			 North East South Tyneside 0 0 0 
			 North East The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals 2 2 7 
			 Total  3 4 10

Influenza: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pensioners received a free influenza vaccine in each  (a) London constituency and  (b) London primary care trust area in each year since 1997; what percentage each figure represents of those eligible in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not held in the format requested. Flu vaccine uptake data was collected for the first time on those aged 65 and over from 2000. Data is not collected by constituency.
	The percentage of those aged 65 and over who received a flu vaccine in each London primary care trust for which data has been placed in the Library.

Midwives: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives were employed in each London primary care trust in each year since 1997; how many vacancies for midwives there were in each trust in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information on the number of midwives employed in each London Primary Care Trust is not held in the format requested. The following tables provide the number of qualified nurses, midwifery and health visiting staff employed in all London national health service organisations since 1997.
	Furthermore, vacancy data has only been collected since 1999. The available information has been placed in the Library and shows the number of midwife vacancies and the number of midwifes employed at all London NHS organisations since 1999.

NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement: Operating Costs

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual running costs were of the in each year since its introduction; how many full-time employees the Institute has; what assessment he has made of its effectiveness; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The annual running costs of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement in each year since its introduction have been: 2005-06—£42,406,000 (actual revenue), 2006-07—£53,014,000 (actual revenue) and 2007-08—£74,281,000 (forecast revenue funding).
	The NHS Institute has 152 full time employees.
	The NHS Institute is a relatively new organisation, having only been in existence for two years. To date it has identified a potential £2.2 billion productivity gain of which £360 million has already been realised with the aid of tools and techniques developed by it.

Nurses: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses were employed in each London primary care trust area in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not held in the format requested. Primary care trusts figures are only available from 2002, and figures are not broken down for individual health related professions. Tables have been placed in the Library which provide the number of qualified nurses, midwifery and health visiting staff employed in all London national health service organisations since 1997.

Obesity

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the total cost to industry of illness, inactivity and premature death associated with overweight and obesity; what discussions  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had with ministerial colleagues on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Foresight report, Tackling Obesities: Future Choices, published on 17 October 2007, says that the economic implications of obesity are substantial. A copy of the report is available in the Library. By 2050, without action, a seven-fold increase in the direct healthcare costs of overweight and obesity is anticipated, with wider costs to society and business reaching £45.5 billion (at today's prices).
	The Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson) made a statement in the House on 17 October 2007,  Official Report, column 825, where he announced the development of a comprehensive cross Government strategy on obesity, to respond to the evidence in the Foresight Report. Because of the need for concerted action on a number of fronts, he will convene a cross governmental ministerial group to guide our approach.
	Officials in the former Department of Trade and Industry worked closely with officials in this Department throughout the Foresight Obesity Project. Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform continue to work with the Department on issues of the appropriateness of regulatory reform in combating obesity.

Strokes: Health Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions have been made since 1997 to improve the quality of healthcare for stroke sufferers.

Ann Keen: Between 1996-97 and 2007-08, spending on the national health service has increased from £33 billion to just over £90 billion, representing an average annual increase in real terms of 6 per cent. The improvements seen in stroke services have undoubtedly benefited from these increases over the last 10 years.
	The National Service Framework (NSF) for long-term conditions was published in 2004 to improve the quality of life and independence for people with long-term neurological conditions. It set out general guidelines for a range of conditions, including stroke, to establish faster diagnosis, more rapid treatment and a comprehensive package of care based around individual patient needs.
	Prior to this the "NSF for Older People", published in 2001, included a chapter on stroke services. It set out a range of measures to reduce the incidence of stroke and improve stroke treatment, which have led to a widespread development of services: the Royal College of Physicians' (RCP) shows that all trusts caring for people who have had a stroke now have a specialist stroke service and 97 per cent. of hospitals in England now have a stroke unit, these were uncommon a decade ago. The audit also shows that in 2006, around two thirds of stroke patients were treated on a stroke unit. This is a significant improvement since 2004 when the figure was less than half. Length of stay in hospital for stroke patients is falling from 34 days in 2001 to 28 days in 2004. The results of the RCP audit also show that the proportion of trusts with a stroke unit meeting five or six of the audit's criteria has increased from 33 per cent. to 41 per cent. between 2004 and 2006.
	Stroke mortality is falling. For people under 65, the three year average death rate from stroke has fallen by 23 per cent. over the period from 1993-95 to 2002-04. For people aged 65-75 the death rate has dropped by 30 per cent. over the same period. We have made greater progress in reducing premature deaths from coronary heart disease than from stroke. This is because we have begun by focusing on coronary heart disease, the biggest killer in the country. However, because of the significant progress we have made in this area we are now able to redouble our efforts in addressing the challenge of stroke. This is why the Department launched a stroke strategy document for consultation on 9 July 2007. It followed an 18-month programme of work, setting out the views of six expert working groups who represented a wide range of key stakeholders. The strategy aims to accelerate the emergency response to stroke, by setting out a framework for care of stroke patients, and raising awareness about stroke symptoms and risk factors. It is due for publication by the end of 2007.
	In addition to developing the strategy, in 2006 the Department published "Mending hearts and brains", a report by Professor Roger Boyle, the National Director for Heart and Stroke. The report makes the clinical case for reconfiguring stroke services. In particular, it emphasises the need to treat stroke as an emergency, including the delivery of thrombolysis at specialist centres and a possible 'hub and spoke' model for stroke services.
	Last year the Department also launched "Action on stroke services: an evaluation toolkit", (ASSET ) to help health care providers compare their performance with others. It considers four aspects of acute treatment setting out how these mean fewer people experiencing death or disability, and more efficient hospital services with people able to return home faster. An additional version, ASSET 2 for commissioners has also been introduced which uses analytical modelling to advise hospitals and primary care trusts of what the impact of making specific changes to their services would be. We have also published a guide for commissioners, setting out key questions they need to consider and a series of best practice case studies.
	As well as helping to improve existing stroke services, the Department is investing £20 million over five years (2005-2010) into the development of the UK Stroke Research Network.

Arrests: Genetics

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of people arrested in the last 12 months had a DNA sample taken from them; and what factors are taken into account in deciding whether to take a DNA sample from an individual who has been arrested.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 23 October 2007
	There is no current data available on the number of individuals who are arrested each year. Information on arrests published in the Statistical Bulletin 'Arrests for Recorded Crime (Notifiable Offences) is based on an 'arrest event' i.e. a person will be counted more than once if arrested on more than one occasion during the year.
	It is therefore not possible to compare the arrest data with data on the number of persons who have a DNA sample taken or the number of subject sample profiles added to the National DNA Database (NDNAD) or give a figure for the percentage of arrested persons who have a DNA sample taken.
	Available data obtained from police forces in England and Wales indicates that over 673,000 persons had a DNA sample taken in 2006-07 and 667,737 DMA subject sample profiles were loaded to the National DNA Database. This would represent around 576,250 individuals, taking account of the estimated subject sample profile replication rate which is currently 13.7 per cent.
	The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has produced guidance for police officers on the use of DNA. The guidance states that a DNA sample should be taken from anyone who is detained at a police station and has been arrested for a recordable offence and:
	who is a new offender and therefore does not have a PNC record or who does not already have a DNA profile on the National DNA Database; and
	who has not had a DNA sample same taken during the course of the investigation.

Asylum: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of support of asylum seekers was to each local authority in the East of England in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is set out and is based upon returns submitted by local authorities to the Department of Communities and Local Government. Funding for local authorities' responsibilities in the area of asylum seekers is met by central Government through a combination of formula grant and by specific grants from the Home Office.
	Information is only available from 1999 onwards. The information for 2006-07 has been taken from the indicative budget prepared by local authorities for that year.
	
		
			  Net current expenditure on asylum seekers in East of England local authorities; 1998-99 to 2007-08 
			  £000 
			  Local authority  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Luton UA 273 1,837 4,746 4,715 3,940 3,232 2,313 1,355 1,073 
			 Bedfordshire 204 1,243 2,327 2,167 1,211 624 368 268 337 
			 Bedford 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Peterborough UA 49 236 907 1,071 1,790 21 1,781 1,159 1,700 
			 Cambridgeshire 251 989 2,026 2,285 1,493 997 541 1,171 0 
			 Cambridge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Fenland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Huntingdonshire 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			 South Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 258 0 2,602 2,675 2,321 2,180 1,457 1,150 1,319 
			 Thurrock UA 87 1,567 2,623 2,869 3,655 3,050 1,910 0 173 
			 Essex 219 1,836 2,429 2,099 2,050 2,208 2,720 2,062 1,960 
			 Basildon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Braintree 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Brentwood 0 0 52 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Castle Point 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Chelmsford 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Colchester 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Epping Forest 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Harlow 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Maldon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Rochford 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Tendring 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Uttlesford 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire 391 -539 4,696 5,896 3,753 2,777 2,081 581 0 
			 Broxbourne 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dacorum 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hertsmere 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 St. Albans 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stevenage 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Three Rivers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Watford 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Norfolk 224 539 1,256 1,286 1,149 1,115 863 604 1,309 
			 Breckland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Broadland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Great Yarmouth 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Norfolk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Norwich 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South Norfolk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Suffolk 16 436 1,024 494 477 440 375 322 121 
			 Babergh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Forest Heath 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Ipswich 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mid Suffolk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 St. Edmundsbury 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Suffolk Coastal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Waveney 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire Police Authority 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire Police Authority 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Norfolk Police Authority 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Suffolk Police Authority 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex Police Authority 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire Police Authority 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire Combined Fire Authority 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire Combined Fire Authority 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex Combined Fire Authority 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 The Broads Authority 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 1,972 8,144 24,690 25,558 21,840 16,644 14,409 8,672 7,992 
			  Sources: 1. Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn (RO) returns 1998-99 to 2005-06 2. Communities and Local Government Revenue Account (PA) budget returns 2006-07 which can be reviewed at: http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/stats/natstats.htm#rev

Crime: Greater London

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many offences were recorded for  (a) violence against the person,  (b) sexual offences,  (c) burglary,  (d) robbery and  (e) theft from a vehicle in each London borough in each year since 1998; and what changes were made to the methodology for calculating the number of offences in each case in that period;
	(2)  what the percentage crime detection rate for  (a) violence against the person,  (b) sexual offences,  (c) burglary,  (d) robbery and  (e) theft from a vehicle was in each London borough in each year since 1998; and what changes were made to the methodology for calculating the detection rate in each case in that period.

Tony McNulty: Recorded crime data at basic command unit (BCU) level is only available from 1999-2000 onwards. BCU figures for burglary in 1999-2000 are only available for burglary in a dwelling. Figures for 2000-01 onwards are for all burglary offences i.e. burglary in a dwelling and other burglary.
	The National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) was introduced nationally across England and Wales in April 2002 to promote greater consistency between police forces in the recording of crime and to take a more victim orientated approach to crime recording. Also, from April 2002 onwards, some offence groups, including violence against the person and sexual offences, were amended to reflect a newly defined subgroup of offences. Therefore, figures before and after this date are not directly comparable.
	The available figures are given in tabled placed in the House Libraries. Tables 1a and 1b provide the number of offences, and tables 2a and 2b, the percentage detection rates recorded by the two BCUs within the City of London police and the 33 BCUs within the Metropolitan police.

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people took sick leave for stress in his Department in the last 12 months; and what percentage of the total staff number this represents.

Liam Byrne: I will write to the hon. Member.

Deportation

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1478W, on deportation, and with reference to the letters of 9 February 2006 and 3 April 2006 from his Department's Immigration and Nationality Directorate to the hon. Member for Aylesbury, on what date his Department provided to HM High Commission, Kingston, the notice of refusal and associated papers in the case of Mr E. A., husband of Mrs J. A. of Aylesbury (reference A505053); and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 25 June 2007
	 I will write to the hon. Member.

Drugs: Misuse

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government have taken to reduce levels of drug addiction in the UK since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The Government initiated in 1998, a 10 year national Drug Strategy which introduced a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to tackling the harms caused by drugs through a focus on prevention, education, early intervention, treatment and strong enforcement. This approach has delivered results.
	British Crime Survey data collected since 1996 shows that, at 10.0 per cent. overall use of any illicit drug in the last year by 16 to 59-year-olds is at its lowest level since the British Crime Survey (BCS) started measurement.
	The Young People and Drugs Programme has been established which provides a range of universal, targeted and specialist services for young people, including vulnerable groups. The FRANK campaign has been launched to inform young people and their parents and carers about the dangers and risks involved with drug use. The Positive Futures Programme has been established to provide diversionary activities for young people at risk of drug misuse.
	The Government have significantly increased investment in treatment services which has seen record numbers of drug users accessing structured treatment. A national target to double the number of users in treatment by 2008 has already been achieved two years earlier than anticipated.
	New innovative approaches to tackle the link between drugs and acquisitive crime and promote treatment including new legislation, new sentencing measures and the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) have been introduced. Over 3,000 drug misusing offenders per month are now entering treatment through the programme. Since the introduction of DIP recorded acquisitive crime—to which drug-related crime makes a significant contribution—has fallen by 20 per cent.
	Tough legislation has also been introduced to reduce the incentives for individuals and organised criminal groups to become involved in dealing and trafficking. Increasing quantities of drugs are being seized and organised crime groups and dealers disrupted.
	The Government want to build upon the good progress made to date which is why we have been consulting on the development of the new Drug Strategy.

EU Migrants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the brief was for the report on EU migration flows commissioned by his Department from Christian Dustmann et al of University College; what the value was of the commission; what the basis was for selecting the team; which other teams were considered; and which other studies were analysed by the Department as part of its analysis of EU migration flows.

Liam Byrne: I will write to the hon. Member.

Genetics: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many DNA profiles were added to the National DNA Database by each police force in  (a) each year since it was launched and  (b) each month in 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The number of profiles relating to individuals added to the Database by each police force in England and Wales in each year since its foundation in 1995, and each month in 2007, is shown in the following tables.
	A certain number of profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates, i.e. a profile for a person has been loaded on more than one occasion (one reason for this is that the person gave different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests). At present the replication rate is 13.7 per cent. i.e. the number of people whose details are loaded is 13.7 per cent. less than the number of profiles. However, as the replication rate has varied over time, an exact figure for the number of people who have been added to the database in each year since 1995 cannot be given.
	
		
			  NDNAD—profiles relating to individuals by force—England and Wales 
			   1995-96  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01 
			 Avon and Somerset 501 1,360 2,402 6,860 5,174 7,735 
			 Bedfordshire 256 525 797 1,535 1,534 3,436 
			 British Transport 205 632 927 1,312 1,181 1,787 
			 Cambridgeshire 462 1,050 1,545 2,425 1,617 3,384 
			 Cheshire 304 1,272 2,43 3,091 2,274 7,292 
			 City of London 667 1,538 1,965 2,642 1,515 1,342 
			 Cleveland 583 1,102 1,530 1,502 1,504 4,620 
			 Cumbria 118 392 1,039 3,222 1,556 4,069 
			 Derbyshire 1,268 2,758 2,772 4,648 3,290 4,943 
			 Devon and Cornwall 886 2,076 3,256 5,184 4,485 9,598 
			 Dorset 248 420 615 866 642 5,164 
			 Durham 550 860 1,574 4,259 1,958 3,817 
			 Dyfed-Powys 830 1,409 2,346 3,435 1,784 3,955 
			 Essex 929 1,493 2,691 5,326 5,006 8,894 
			 Gloucestershire 242 620 713 1,857 1,921 5,426 
			 Greater Manchester 729 3,819 6,608 7,166 5,955 21,100 
			 Gwent 585 1,320 2,076 2,657 3,321 6,005 
			 Hampshire 1,191 2,122 3,404 5,216 3,421 12,517 
			 Hertfordshire 473 727 967 1,446 983 6,262 
			 Humberside 539 2,044 9,295 11,017 4,260 6,893 
			 Kent 836 2,059 2,551 4,763 3,380 12,026 
			 Lancashire 1,143 2,674 4,678 4,934 4,980 9,786 
			 Leicestershire 634 1,456 1,955 3,249 2,489 4,650 
			 Lincolnshire 150 656 1,112 1,672 2,789 2,929 
			 Merseyside 973 2,781 2,493 6,811 6,180 13,358 
			 Metropolitan 4,699 9,980 13,165 39,141 51,712 64,039 
			 Norfolk 406 1,812 3,788 6,835 4,413 4,649 
			 North Wales 620 1,322 1,590 3,654 3,848 6,008 
			 North Yorkshire 612 944 1,409 2,078 1,404 3,696 
			 Northamptonshire 653 1,353 1,864 3,524 1,100 4,538 
			 Northumbria 1,246 3,413 3,458 4,596 3,732 15,261 
			 Nottinghamshire 129 526 3,057 7,202 2,777 9,670 
			 South Wales 2,352 4,603 6,692 3,104 4,791 11,016 
			 South Yorkshire 943 1,717 3,408 10,942 1,467 7,609 
			 Staffordshire 480 733 1,235 8,368 4,759 4,827 
			 Suffolk 0 123 1,413 2,020 1,048 3,974 
			 Surrey 198 351 1,046 1,943 503 3,540 
			 Sussex 826 1,666 1,693 1,570 3,899 10,475 
			 Thames Valley 880 2,669 2,346 5,140 8,042 10,477 
			 Warwickshire 144 300 623 1,408 731 2,478 
			 West Mercia 849 1,400 1,464 2,308 3,797 6,293 
			 West Midlands 1,058 4,949 7,169 17,852 11,607 13,894 
			 West Yorkshire 1,698 4,332 6,741 10,611 8,614 17,913 
			 Wiltshire 438 840 1,142 1,393 1,551 4,420 
			 Total 33,533 80,198 125,053 230,787 192,994 375,765 
		
	
	
		
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Avon and Somerset 9,984 9,093 9,197 8,318 11,214 14,708 
			 Bedfordshire 4,946 4,684 4,759 4,597 6,100 6,322 
			 British Transport 3,603 3,808 3,944 4,021 7,439 9,376 
			 Cambridgeshire 4,250 3,941 4,006 6,578 8,556 8,899 
			 Cheshire 9,270 8,156 7,391 7,282 10,634 10,171 
			 City of London 1,513 1,949 1,640 1,242 2,191 2,262 
			 Cleveland 5,321 5,018 5,268 4,732 6,999 6,917 
			 Cumbria 3,844 4,213 4,049 5,499 6,018 5,341 
			 Derbyshire 7,407 6,512 7,092 9,204 11,806 14,823 
			 Devon and Cornwall 12,783 10,342 9,719 10,072 12,132 14,860 
			 Dorset 5,661 5,057 4,474 5,876 7,795 7,015 
			 Durham 4,183 6,039 4,508 4,822 6,950 6,894 
			 Dyfed-Powys 5,096 5,056 4,439 4,384 5,997 5,667 
			 Essex 11,581 10,237 9,765 14,840 18,407 17,674 
			 Gloucestershire 4,693 4,239 3,602 4,726 5,945 5,174 
			 Greater Manchester 28,779 23,430 24,575 31,266 34,336 29,589 
			 Gwent 6,664 4,516 4,013 3,680 5,227 5,816 
			 Hampshire 15,887 14,192 14,030 15,476 20,758 15,490 
			 Hertfordshire 7,527 7,877 7,162 8,199 12,918 9,940 
			 Humberside 5,497 6,094 6,116 6,461 7,388 8,342 
			 Kent 15,167 13,924 14,051 19,063 18,868 16,825 
			 Lancashire 17,597 16,453 13,588 14,098 18,591 16,828 
			 Leicestershire 6,006 6,024 6,419 8,150 9,816 8,499 
			 Lincolnshire 3,922 3,866 4,168 5,681 6,729 7,327 
			 Merseyside 12,298 16,067 13,076 8,375 13,030 14,561 
			 Metropolitan 66,950 62,318 59,810 74,389 111,575 154,674 
			 Norfolk 5,553 4,648 5,359 5,043 7,965 7,515 
			 North Wales 5,037 5,002 4,715 6,270 7,111 6,351 
			 North Yorkshire 5,968 5,395 5,297 5,859 8,545 7,655 
			 Northamptonshire 3,779 3,581 3,231 3,398 5,442 5,693 
			 Northumbria 21,495 19,195 17,826 17,375 18,809 20,328 
			 Nottinghamshire 9,080 11,539 9,501 10,213 12,068 12,923 
			 South Wales 13,678 11,180 10,143 10,686 14,884 11,586 
			 South Yorkshire 10,582 10,136 11,875 15,229 15,358 13,946 
			 Staffordshire 9,905 7,928 10,155 11,836 12,242 11,163 
			 Suffolk 5,249 5,099 5,455 4,942 5,312 6,374 
			 Surrey 7,092 6,555 6,188 6,627 9,477 8,838 
			 Sussex 11,227 9,753 11,022 13,426 15,489 15,371 
			 Thames Valley 13,230 13,418 12,240 15,053 20,279 21,025 
			 Warwickshire 3,659 3,079 3,091 2,651 3,762 5,164 
			 West Mercia 8,408 7,668 7,569 8,168 8,791 10,318 
			 West Midlands 30,945 32,747 32,419 26,358 35,836 41,818 
			 West Yorkshire 19,837 19,693 19,928 19,999 29,432 32,393 
			 Wiltshire 5,818 4,673 4,852 6,124 7,576 5,283 
			 Total 470,971 444,395 431,727 480,288 625,797 667,738 
		
	
	—continued
	
		
			   January 2007  February 2007  March 2007  April 2007  May 2007  June 2007  July 2007  August 2007  September 2007 
			 Avon and Somerset 1,208 1,125 1,173 1,233 1,127 1,406 1,298 1,049 1,045 
			 Bedfordshire 494 453 533 455 467 327 384 424 633 
			 British Transport 897 834 875 555 627 770 536 699 504 
			 Cambridgeshire 809 921 630 715 682 506 481 665 603 
			 Cheshire 831 716 916 704 779 758 834 638 1,179 
			 City of London 217 188 193 184 200 132 180 204 123 
			 Cleveland 674 432 752 593 645 545 565 450 481 
			 Cumbria 481 397 351 423 489 344 56 395 366 
			 Derbyshire 1,126 1,183 1,705 1,416 849 750 886 544 889 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,370 1,064 880 944 1,103 1,057 1,560 714 1,317 
			 Dorset 581 491 590 436 559 430 596 528 549 
			 Durham 608 495 586 469 586 464 515 496 435 
			 Dyfed-Powys 389 382 350 467 415 391 407 471 296 
			 Essex 1,448 1,461 1,383 1,424 1,742 1,377 1,569 1,483 1,400 
			 Gloucestershire 486 325 356 451 449 342 358 423 353 
			 Greater Manchester 2,471 2,269 2,339 2,244 2,395 2,119 2,333 2,039 2,331 
			 Gwent 339 429 578 508 441 394 381 687 305 
			 Hampshire 894 773 2,614 1,913 1,345 932 1,509 1,259 1,774 
			 Hertfordshire 818 808 799 765 863 705 891 748 664 
			 Humberside 601 691 595 486 674 610 624 670 517 
			 Kent 1,500 1,338 1,334 1,351 1,182 1,679 1,505 1,274 1,257 
			 Lancashire 1,108 2,100 1,031 1,289 938 928 1,963 624 1,401 
			 Leicestershire 684 588 694 230 785 426 1,150 512 572 
			 Lincolnshire 609 1,220 344 503 600 491 467 705 554 
			 Merseyside 990 1,141 1,423 1,135 2,817 1,429 1,615 1,331 1,376 
			 Metropolitan 8,435 8,101 8,107 7,333 7,233 7,585 8,058 6,767 7,236 
			 Norfolk 586 377 501 745 633 561 599 509 494 
			 North Wales 622 350 695 163 792 560 541 584 352 
			 North Yorkshire 662 655 578 650 629 584 834 635 481 
			 Northamptonshire 470 424 352 369 525 353 540 294 512 
			 Northumbria 1,285 2,131 1,591 1,378 1,510 1,806 2,823 1,449 763 
			 Nottinghamshire 545 1,726 1,465 820 820 691 306 705 1,390 
			 South Wales 831 846 947 819 965 807 992 907 985 
			 South Yorkshire 1,265 1,033 1,221 1,058 1,417 1,040 1,313 1,260 1,129 
			 Staffordshire 1,146 915 1,257 1,217 1,196 801 931 895 422 
			 Suffolk 472 456 498 416 502 455 381 624 597 
			 Surrey 737 629 684 652 690 769 644 722 490 
			 Sussex 1,458 985 1,260 1,291 1,442 1,902 1,555 1,289 1,423 
			 Thames Valley 1,719 1,445 1,995 2,037 2,069 1,941 1,951 1,805 1,783 
			 Warwickshire 560 334 414 480 230 608 369 636 359 
			 West Mercia 966 726 724 804 926 729 899 698 681 
			 West Midlands 3,697 3,201 2,767 2,763 3,211 2,863 2,526 3,479 2,749 
			 West Yorkshire 2,534 2,227 2,197 1,473 3,062 2,217 2,480 1,932 2,052 
			 Wiltshire 529 366 372 212 290 538 356 532 501 
			 Total 50,152 48,751 50,649 45,573 50,902 46,123 51,287 44,754 45,323

Immigration

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer of 15 October 2007,  Official Report, column 548, on inward migration, how many and what percentage of migrants to the UK were  (a) EEA nationals,  (b) non-EEA nationals,  (c) dependents and  (d) students in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Immigration Officers

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the 800 new immigration officers have been  (a) appointed and  (b) seconded from the police service; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I will write to my hon. Friend.

Members: Correspondence

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to reply to the correspondence of 9 October 2007 from the hon. Member for Nottingham North on the report by Lord Stevens on A commentary on the crime situation in Nottingham: celebrating success; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: I will write to my hon. Friend.

Members: Written Questions

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will reply to Question 150410, on Muktar Ibrahim, tabled by the hon. Member for Ashford on 12 July.

Liam Byrne: I will write to the hon. Member.

Members: Written Questions

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will reply to Written Question 150411, on Muktar Ibrahim, tabled by the hon. Member for Ashford on 12 July.

Liam Byrne: I will write to the hon. Member.

Offenders: Deportation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners are subject to deportation notices.

Liam Byrne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Passports: Biometrics

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Prime Minister's statement of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 841-45, on national security, whether EU citizens will be regarded as foreign nationals for this purpose; whether a biometric passport is a satisfactory form of biometric ID for this purpose; and whether it will be an offence for a relevant person not to carry or be able to produce biometric ID.

Liam Byrne: Further to the Prime Minister's security statement of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 841-45, I can advise that the UKvisas, the joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office directorate with responsibility for issuing visas to non-EEA nationals, are on track to roll-out the requirement that, by the end of March 2008, all visa nationals and all non-EEA nationals seeking to stay in the United Kingdom for more than six months, are required to provide their biometric data as part of the visa application process.
	The Prime Minister's statement also related to our plans in the UK Borders Bill to require non-EEA nationals subject to immigration control and already in the UK to apply for a 'Biometric Immigration Document'. This will be achieved incrementally with the process starting before the end of 2008. It will not be compulsory for a person to carry a 'Biometric Immigration Document' at all times following Government amendments to the UK Borders Bill.

Police

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of increasing population on the delivery of policing services in  (a) government designated growth areas and  (b) Northamptonshire.

Tony McNulty: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisoners: Compensation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what total sums were paid to foreign prisoners in compensation for unlawful detention in custody beyond the end of their sentences in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisoners: Deportation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1248W, to the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green), on offenders: deportation, what steps she has taken to ascertain the nationality, residential status and right to remain in the United Kingdom of the 879 prisoners held in England and Wales whose nationality is classified as unknown.

Liam Byrne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Vetting

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many  (a) basic and  (b) enhanced checks the Criminal Records Bureau undertook for each Government department and executive agency in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many  (a) basic and  (b) enhanced checks the Criminal Records Bureau has undertaken for home inspectors and energy inspectors.

Meg Hillier: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) does not issue basic disclosures.
	In the year October 2006 to September 2007, the CRB has issued 66,459 enhanced disclosures to Government Departments and Executive agencies. These are broken down as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Ofsted Early Years 42,385 
			 Ministry of Defence 13,085 
			 HM Prison Service 3,023 
			 Ministry Of Justice 2,216 
			 Magistrates Branch Lord Chancellors Department 1,905 
			 UK Immigration Service ISCAT 1,285 
			 Identity and Passport Service (IPS) 506 
			 Gambling Commission 439 
			 Childrens Directorate Ofsted Early Years 438 
			 Welsh Assembly Government 220 
			 Department For Children, Schools and Families 213 
			 Juvenile Offenders Unit 206 
			 Independent Monitoring Boards Secretariat 111 
			 Department For Children, Schools and Families 110 
			 HM Inspectorate of Probation 97 
			 National Probation Service Nottinghamshire 73 
			 The Royal Parks Agency 38 
			 National Probation Service North Wales Area 35 
			 The Royal Household 26 
			 Public Guardianship Office 15 
			 The Highways Agency 12 
			 Forestry Commission 9 
			 The Veterans Agency 5 
			 The Pension Service 3 
			 Central Interpreters Unit Border and Immigration Agency 1 
			 Child Support Agency 1 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 1 
			 The Planning Inspectorate 1 
		
	
	Neither home inspectors nor energy inspectors are eligible for enhanced disclosures under current legislation. However, home inspectors have qualified for standard disclosures since October 2006 and the CRB has processed 877 such disclosures. Criminal Records Bureau checks on energy assessors are carried out by CRB Scotland.

Departments: Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she and representatives of her Department have had with the Home Department and others on sharing data and identity management; and what the conclusions were of these discussions.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Secretary of State and representatives of her Department are involved in various discussions with the Home Office on matters including data and identity management issues where we have a common interest. Most of these discussions are around road safety and the related matter of road and traffic law enforcement, where the provision of relevant information by the Department to the police is a key mechanism for police effectiveness.
	We also contribute to discussions with the Home Office and its agencies on identity management to protect against identity fraud. These discussions are led by the Home Office, who are responsible for monitoring and reporting on progress.
	The Department has been involved in a number of wider collective and bilateral Ministerial and official meetings with Home Office and other Departments, including the former Ministerial Committee on Data Sharing (MISC31) and the Identity Management Strategy Group chaired by the Home Office.
	Sharing data to deliver government objectives needs to be balanced with protecting privacy and maintaining public confidence that their personal data are adequately protected against misuse. Government take issues surrounding privacy very seriously. This is aligned with the publicly stated HM Government, Information Sharing Vision Statement, September 2006.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in which financial years since 2001 her Department's outturn for its capital budget at the end of the year was less than planned at the beginning of the year; and what the  (a) value and  (b) reason for the underspend was in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The National Audit Office measures spending performance against plans by comparing outturns against final provision following supplementary estimates—rather than against plans at the start of the year—as plans can change during the year for a number of reasons, such as machinery of government and classification changes. The definitive figures for final provision and provisional outturn are published each year in the Public Expenditure Outturns White Paper. Changes to plans arising in-year are published in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, as are differences between provisional and final outturns.
	The Department for Transport was created in 2002 and since then, for all years, differences between outturns and plans were due to net underspends across a range of programmes. In 2003-04 provisional outturn was £303 million less than final provision, largely due to the Highways Agency improved methods of making provision for future land and property liabilities, and in 2006-07 £183 million less, mainly due to lower than projected capital expenditure by London and Continental Railways.

Railways: Nuneaton

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received on train journey times from Nuneaton to London outside the rush hour; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: A number of representations have been received from passengers, a rail user group, local authorities and MPs whose constituents use Nuneaton station. Concern has been expressed over changes to train services from December 2008. This will mean that, in the off peak, the link with London and other key destinations will be provided by a semi fast service. Reassurances have been given that the station will still have links with all the present destinations reached from Nuneaton and indeed will have ah increased range of journey opportunities.

Repairs and Maintenance: Finance

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how £144 million will be saved by her Department through standardising and tightening major maintenance contracts, as described in the pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The major maintenance contracts referred to in Annex D3.5 of the pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review are the Highways Agency's contracts for routine maintenance, winter maintenance and asset renewal for the motorways and trunk roads in England. Maintenance accounts for a substantial portion of the Highways Agency annual spend, hence the magnitude of the anticipated efficiency savings.
	Since 2000, the Highways Agency has made radical changes to its maintenance contracts, increasing their size, combining functions into a single service provider contract, and adopting a performance based specification. This process has encouraged greater efficiency from suppliers. These measures have already achieved efficiency savings of some £80 million per annum.
	The past process of contract evolution has led to different versions of the contract for each maintenance area. Also, service levels have generally been increased in recent years providing, for example, better support for dealing with incidents on the network and reducing the disruptive impact of road works. There is an opportunity now to achieve further savings by applying a standardised contract across the network and by optimising the value for money from these service levels.

Roads: Construction

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many lane kilometres of  (a) motorways and  (b) non-motorway trunk roads were built in each of the last 30 years.

Tom Harris: The Highways Agency does not hold records of the breakdown of motorway and non-motorway trunk road lane km added to the network since 1977, but does hold some information for the years since 1997.
	The Highways Agency does not currently have the data since 1997 verified on a scheme by scheme basis or broken down between motorways and non-motorway trunk roads. The Highways Agency is working on this currently and the breakdown of information is expected to be completed following Christmas recess.
	I will write to the hon. Member with the information when it is available and place a copy of my letter, and the tables in the Libraries of the House.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason road project each categorised on the Highway Agency's website as on hold is so categorised.

Tom Harris: The 21 projects listed as "on hold" on the Highways Agency (HA) website comprise eight major schemes (two of which were in the Government's national roads programme and six which were being prepared for programme entry) and 13 Route Management Strategies.
	None of the eight schemes were prioritised for funding by the relevant regional bodies in their advice to Government and they were put on hold by the HA following the Regional Funding Allocations announcement in July 2006. Regional Funding Allocations will be reviewed in due course and regional bodies will have an opportunity to revisit their advice on priorities.
	The Route Management Strategies set out a long term assessment of route capability and priorities for service improvements. The Highways Agency is now developing its forward planning on a regional basis through the recent publication of the Regional Network Reports available on the Highway Agency website.

Burma: Human Rights

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to help to improve the human rights of the people of Burma.

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking in response to the imprisonment of human rights activists in Burma; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: I refer my hon. Friend to the replies I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry South (Mr. Cunningham) on 29 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 818-9W.

China: Press Freedom

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 13W, on China: press freedom, what steps he has taken to encourage the Chinese authorities to ensure freedom of movement and expression in China for both domestic and international press  (a) in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and  (b) afterwards.

Meg Munn: We continue to encourage China to ensure that new regulations for foreign correspondents remain in force after the Olympic Games, and lift restrictions on domestic journalists. The then Prime Minister (right hon. Tony Blair) and my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell), raised media freedom with the Head of China's Information Office for the State Council when he visited London in April. My right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Margaret Beckett) stressed the importance of freedom of expression during a visit to Beijing on 17 May. My noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch Brown, raised the issue with his counterpart in Beijing in August. We also raise freedom of expression through the EU, and did so at the EU-China Human Rights Dialogues in May and October.

Departments: Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of Questions tabled to his Department for answer on a named day received a substantive reply on the day named in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office was tabled 638 named day parliamentary questions from 20 November 2006 to 25 October 2007. Of those 523 parliamentary questions (82 per cent.) received a substantive reply on the day named.

EU Reform: Treaties

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which occasions  (a) focal points met to discuss the inter-governmental conference (IGC) mandates and  (b) ministers met their counterparts to discuss the IGC; whether those meetings were bilateral or multilateral; what representations of positions and discussions occurred at those meetings; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: As I set out in evidence during my appearances before the Foreign Affairs Committee on 12 September and the European Scrutiny Committee on 4 July and 2 October, the draft mandate for the Reform Treaty Inter-governmental Conference (IGC) was circulated for the first time at the meeting of all focal points on 19 June. Ministerial discussion of the draft IGC mandate took place at the European Council on 21-22 June. The Government set out their general approach to agreeing a new Treaty in the then Minister for Europe's (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon) written ministerial statement of 5 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 10-11WS, and the then Prime Minister (right hon. Tony Blair) explained the Government's priorities before the Parliamentary Liaison Committee on 18 June. Ministers hold regular discussions with EU partners on many issues, including EU Institutional issues.

Citizen's Juries

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many citizens' juries were arranged for  (a) his Department and its predecessor and  (b) his Department's and its predecessor's agencies in each year since 1997; which organisations were commissioned to conduct each citizens' jury; and what the cost was of each.

Stephen Timms: Data from 1997 is not readily available and would require a significant review of all engagement activities and analysis of the techniques used, extracting costs for citizens' juries at a disproportionate cost.

Departments: Legislation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many regulations his Department has  (a) brought forward and  (b) revoked over the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 24 October 2007
	BERR is responsible for one Act of Parliament receiving Royal Assent in the last 12 months. The former DTI was responsible for two Acts of Parliament receiving Royal Assent within the last 12 months.
	Data on Statutory Instruments is published by the Office of Public Sector Information. In the period 1 January 2006 to 30 June 2007, the former DTI was responsible for a total of 160 Statutory Instruments. Data for the period 1 July 2007 to date has not been published yet.
	Many of these individual pieces of legislation will update, replace or revoke existing legislation either completely or in part. Detail at the level of individual pieces of legislation can only be produced at disproportionate cost.
	The Government have committed to a 25 per cent. reduction in administrative burdens arising from regulation by 2010. In delivering this commitment, the Government are also repealing regulations where appropriate. BERR's Simplification Plan 2007 will be published later this year.

Departments: Pay

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for and Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at the Department and its agencies in each year between 1997 and 2006 ; and what the total cost was of those bonuses.

Stephen Timms: Annual performance bonuses are paid to staff in the SCS for high performance sustained throughout the whole year. The percentage of the SCS pay bill to be spent on SCS performance bonuses is determined each year by the senior salaries review body.
	As the SCS bonus scheme was only introduced in 2002, information is provided from this point forward.
	
		
			   Number of staff awarded bonuses  Total amount of bonuses paid (£) 
			 2002 103 292,776 
			 2003 123 472,148 
			 2004 116 516,000 
			 2005 162 747,500 
			 2006 152 1,143,000 
		
	
	This data relates to bonuses awarded to those in core-DTI and its Executive Agencies in accordance with Cabinet Office Senior Civil Service pay arrangements.

Regional Development Grants

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many  (a) research grants and  (b) development grants were made by each regional development agency (RDA) in each of the last five years; what the value of each of those grants was; and what the total budget for each RDA was for each type of grant in each year.

Stephen Timms: The number of grants for Research and Development given by Regional Development Agencies in each of the last five years is set out in the following tables.
	There were a large number of research and development grant issued during the
	period and information on the value of each individual grant, which is not held centrally, can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
	My Department does not set the RDA budgets for research and development as RDAs have been given flexibility to use their single budgets on the key regional priorities identified by their Boards. The amounts each RDA has spent in total on research and development is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number and value of grant for  R a nd D offers made 2002-03 
			   Research  Development 
			  Region  Number  Value (£)  Number  Value (£) 
			 East 104 4,566,175 63 5,205,274 
			 East Midlands 31 1,386,516 38 3,546,216 
			 London 43 2,106,426 31 1,816,641 
			 North East 24 1,057,084 12 461,036 
			 North West 74 3,273,547 60 3,615,514 
			 South East 127 3,168,398 71 6,717,617 
			 South West 29 1,290,119 36 1,108,151 
			 West Midlands 28 1,083,382 15 1,308,370 
			 Yorks and Humber 37 1,608,495 61 3,178,704 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and value of grant for R and D offers made 2003-04 
			   Research  Development 
			  Region  Number  Value  (£)  Number  Value  (£) 
			 East 113 5,513,048 61 6,841,673 
			 East Midlands 29 1,293,055 35 2,537,226 
			 London 66 3,450,712 43 4,246,077 
			 North East 20 909,488 17 1,374,583 
			 North West 74 3,719,914 71 4,531,199 
			 South East 108 5,107,287 95 7,808,286 
			 South West 12 623,849 34 2,089,794 
			 West Midlands 12 515,276 24 2,228,142 
			 Yorks and Humber 52 2,464,041 53 4,174,226 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and value of grant for R and D offers made 2004-05 
			   Research  Development 
			  Region  Number  Value  (£)  Number  Value  (£) 
			 East 28 1,777,014 37 4,008,912 
			 East Midlands 12 712,592 10 984,615 
			 London 30 2,021,920 18 2,721,788 
			 North East 8 468,736 21 2,108,381 
			 North West 18 1,143,120 35 4,405,885 
			 South East 13 751,946 30 2,705,912 
			 South West 6 242,638 13 1,080,915 
			 West Midlands 10 594,287 19 1,826,892 
			 Yorks and Humber 21 1,356,361 28 1,746,950 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and value of grant for R and D offers made 2005-06 
			   Research  Development 
			  Region  Value (£)  Number  Number  Value (£) 
			 East 18 1,111,361 9 1,234,000 
			 East Midlands 7 464,950 21 1,958,931 
			 London 17 1,163,236 14 2,055,717 
			 North East 4 202,312 18 1,149,848 
			 North West 6 447,590 11 1,505,211 
			 South East 26 1,601,827 36 2,464,127 
			 South West 3 190,418 5 170,742 
			 West Midlands 8 428,941 12 1,215,036 
			 Yorks and Humber 17 1,078,164 23 2,353,779 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and value of grant for R and D offers made 2006-07 
			   Research  Development 
			  Region  Number  Value (£)  Number  Value (£) 
			 East 17 1,182,781 21 2,273,295 
			 East Midlands 20 1,298,162 41 3,957,424 
			 London 8 561,985 20 1,242,743 
			 North East 14 1,007,465 21 1,787,300 
			 North West 11 665,560 36 3,542,250 
			 South East 28 1,822,506 25 2,150,210 
			 South West 8 425,393 19 1,745,828 
			 West Midlands 11 628,878 15 1,038,758 
			 Yorks and Humber 10 634,792 33 2,815,132

Wind Power

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations he has had from  (a) the Ministry of Defence,  (b) the shipping industry and  (c) other marine-based industries on the development of off-shore wind power.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has received a number of representations in recent years from the Ministry of Defence and marine-based industries covering a range of issues relating to the development of offshore wind power.
	We take a pro-active approach in engaging with stakeholders in these areas. For example, we have established a number of for a—including the Offshore Renewable Energy and Environmental Forum (OREEF), the Fishing Liaison with Offshore Wind and Wet Renewables Group (FLOWW), the Nautical and Offshore Renewable Energy Liaison Group (NOREL) and the Aviation Steering Group—in order to engage effectively with stakeholders.

Winfrith Nuclear Research Establishment

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what representations he has received on the future maintenance and safety of the Winfrith nuclear site; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations he has received on reductions in funding to UKAEA Winfrith; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 16 October 2007
	My Department has received representations from stakeholders concerning the funding of nuclear decommissioning and clean up programmes at Winfrith and I met with my right hon. Friend , the Member for Wantage on 8 October to discuss the matter. The NDA have also received representations on this, and will shortly be publishing for consultation its three year business plan which will set out its proposed allocation of funds across its 19 designated sites. It is for the NDA to plan programmes in consultation with the site licence companies. Safety remains the highest priority for the Government and the NDA.

Armed Forces: Coroners

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on legal representation of his Department's interests at inquests into the deaths of service men and women on active service overseas held since the commencement of the second Iraq War.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 29 October 2007
	A coroner's inquest is a non adversarial fact finding inquiry at which there is rarely a need for legal representation and in the majority of inquests MOD does not instruct a legal team. Where MOD, as an interested person, does engage legal representation this is to assist the coroner in his statutory function where, for example, complex or novel issues may arise.
	Up to 30 September 2007 MOD has spent approximately £661,096 on external legal representation at 30 inquests held into deaths of service personnel arising from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since 19/20 March 2003. Of this, £8,841, at nine inquests, involved legal expenditure incurred to assist the coroner prior to the hearings at which the MOD was not otherwise legally represented.